Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia

"P.C.P."

This is part of a series on Opportunistic Infections ("OIs"). Please note that --

This Page Is Just A Starting Point: ÆGIS is a great place for you to find overview information about HIV and opportunistic infections, but it is not a substitute for getting medical advice from a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Finding The Latest Information: Advances in treating opportunistic infections can happen at any time, so the material on this page may be outdated. Some links in the see also section at the bottom of this page are actually special database links. They may contain information published after this page was written.

PCP is the most common, life-threatening opportunistic infection.

Classification

probably a parasite, but some studies indicate a fungus is the cause.

Description

This is almost always a lung infection, but other organs can be involved -- lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow.
Symptoms include fever, dry cough, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.
The US Centers For Disease Control considers PCP an AIDS-defining condition.

Danger Zone

CD4+ cells less than 200/mm

NOTE:

If you are undergoing treatment that has increased your CD4+ levels, see the important note on Naive T-Cells. There is some evidence that you should use the lowest CD4+ level you ever had when considering your risk for some opportunistic infections.

Prevention

The US CDC recommends TMP/SMX (Bactrim, Septra) for anyone with CD4+ cells fewer than 200/mm.
Aerosolized pentamidine is used as a preventative when the patient can't tolerate TMP/SMX.

Treatment