Pneumocystis Pneumonia
Basics
Description
Description
- Originally called Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, then renamed Pneumocystis jirovecii but still referred to as PCP
- Most common opportunistic infection in patients with HIV, even with PCP prophylaxis and antiretroviral therapy
- Believed to be transmitted by respiratory-aerosol route:
- Cysts colonize respiratory tract
- Cysts rupture and multiple trophozoites release and form foamy exudate in alveoli
- Most cases are believed to represent reactivation of latent disease, although person-to-person transmission suggested
- Actual mode of transmission is unclear
Etiology
Etiology
- Pneumocystis is classified as a fungus
- Pneumocystis occurs in hosts with altered cellular immunity:
- HIV infection (most common, especially when CD4 count <200 cells/mm3)
- Cancer
- Corticosteroid treatment
- Organ transplantation
- Malnutrition
Pediatric Considerations
PCP in children is typically more severe
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Pneumocystis Pneumonia." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 6th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2020. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307643/all/Pneumocystis_Pneumonia.
Pneumocystis Pneumonia. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307643/all/Pneumocystis_Pneumonia. Accessed December 10, 2024.
Pneumocystis Pneumonia. (2020). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (6th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307643/all/Pneumocystis_Pneumonia
Pneumocystis Pneumonia [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. [cited 2024 December 10]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307643/all/Pneumocystis_Pneumonia.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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