[Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: a life threatening complication after kidney transplantation]

Aggressive immunosuppression in kidney transplantation increases the risk of opportunistic infections. We report ten cases of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a group of 420 kidney recipients (2.1%). All patients showed a severe--hyperacute--course of the infection. One patient required mechanical ventilation. In all cases the diagnosis could be established applying fibreoptic bronchoscopy with lavage and partly using transbronchial biopsy. The therapy consisted of intravenous cotrimoxazole and inhalation of pentamidine. All patients survived even after severe course of the disease. Graft explantation for saving patients was not necessary.