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Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Definition:
An infection of the lungs caused by the fungi termed Pneumocystis carinii.

Alternative Names:
Pneumocystosis; PCP

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

PCP is a pneumonia caused by the fungal organism Pneumocystis carinii, which is widespread in the environment, and is not a pathogen in healthy individuals.

However, in individuals with weakened immune systems due to cancer, HIV/AIDS, solid organ and/or bone marrow transplantation, as well as individuals receiving chronic corticosteroids or other medications which affect the immune system, Pneumocystis carinii may lead to a lung infection.

Individuals with advanced AIDS are of particular interest, since PCP was a relatively rare infection prior to the AIDS epidemic. Before the use of preventive antibiotics for PCP, up to 70% of individuals in the U.S. with advanced AIDS would develop PCP.

PCP in the setting of AIDS usually presents with a more indolent course -- several weeks of cough, fevers, and progressive shortness of breath, especially with exertion. Individuals with PCP who do not have AIDS usually present over a shorter period of time and are more acutely ill.



Review Date: 2/22/2002
Reviewed By: Rocio Hurtado, M.D., Infectious Diseases Division, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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