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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Microbiological Rapid On-Site Evaluation for Pulmonary Infectious Diseases
Published on: March 1, 2024
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia with pleural effusion in a non-HIV host
Vijay P Balasubramanian1, Richard A Komorowski, Linus H Santo Tomas
1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA.
Abstract:
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is a life-threatening opportunistic infection that occurs in immunocompromised hosts, especially patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, this infection is increasing in frequency in other immunosuppressed patients, including organ transplant recipients and those with malignancy who are treated with chemotherapeutic regimens. It carries a relatively high mortality in the non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) population. Pleural involvement is rare with PCP; all reported cases in the literature are associated with HIV disease and characterized as small effusions. We report a case of a renal transplant recipient with PCP and moderate-sized pleural effusion with pneumocystis cysts.
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