|
Sponsored Links
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a form of pneumonia caused by the yeast-like fungus, Pneumocystis jirovecii (Jirovecii is pronounced "yee row vet zee eye"). The causal agent was originally described as a protozoan and spelled P. jiroveci and prior to then was classified as a form of Pneumocystis carinii, a name still in common usage.[1][2] These names are discussed below. As a result, Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) has also been known as Pneumocystis jiroveci[i] pneumonia and as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, as is also explained below.[3][4][5] It is relatively rare in people with normal immune systems but common among people with weakened immune systems, such as premature or severely malnourished children, the elderly, and especially AIDS patients, in whom it is most commonly observed today.[6] PCP can also develop in patients who are taking immunosuppressant medications (e.g. patients who have undergone solid organ transplantation) and in patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation. The organism is distributed worldwide[7][8] Pneumocystis pneumonia has been described in all continents except Antarctica.[7] It was originally described as a rare cause of pneumonia in neonates. It is believed to be an environmental organism, and human-to-human transmission is thought not to occur (although in one outbreak of 12 cases among transplant patients in Leiden it was postulated, but not proven, that human-to-human spread may have occurred).[9] Greater than 75% of children are seropositive by the age of 4, which suggest a high background exposure to the organism.
|
Pneumocystis Subcategories
Pneumocystis Articles
|
| 
