A case of cavitating pneumonia in AIDS

Tuberculosis is a common cause of cavitating pneumonia in Singapore. In patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cavitary pneumonias mimicking tuberculosis can mislead the clinician, delaying diagnosis, resulting in increased morbidity. We describe a HIV seropositive patient with cavitating pneumonia in whom the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) was ultimately established only on bronchoscopy.