International ANID–COST-EU Symposium on Pneumocystis Held in Chile
Members of our COST Action CA23142 participated in the International ANID–COST-EU Symposium on Pneumocystis hosted by the University of Chile, strengthening collaboration between European and Latin American researchers working on fungal and respiratory diseases.
The International ANID–COST-EU Symposium “Pneumocystis: Perspectives and Challenges” took place on 17 April 2026 at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile in Santiago. Organised by the Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas (ICBM), the event brought together leading experts from Chile and Europe to discuss current challenges and recent advances in Pneumocystis research.
Members of our COST Action CA23142 participated as invited speakers, further strengthening the international visibility and collaborative mission of the Action. Among them, Dr Marta Kicia, Vice-Chair of CA23142, delivered a presentation entitled “Challenges in Pneumocystis Molecular Diagnosis”, highlighting current limitations and emerging approaches in the molecular detection of Pneumocystis. Dr Magdalena Szydłowicz presented “Pneumocystis in Lung Cancer”, addressing the potential role of Pneumocystis colonisation in oncological and respiratory settings. In addition, Dr Żaneta Zajączkowska contributed with the presentation “Human Milk as a Potential Source of Pneumocystis and Encephalitozoon cuniculi Infections”, exploring possible transmission pathways and implications for neonatal health.
The symposium also addressed topics including pulmonary microbiome, host–pathogen interactions, transmission pathways, lung inflammation, and the role of Pneumocystis in chronic respiratory diseases. The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to reinforce scientific collaboration between European and Latin American research groups and to promote multidisciplinary approaches in the study of fungal respiratory pathogens.
