Introduction

Three of the 10 most common AIDS deficiency illnesses are recurrent bacterial pneumonia, TB and PCP pneumonia. Pneumocystis pneumonia once the hallmark of AIDS has dramatically declined in incidence following the development of effective prophylactic regimens and the widespread use of HAART. Pneumocystis is an opportunistic eukaryote that is classified as a fungus. The genus Pneumocystis infects mammalian species and is host-species specific. Infection in humans is caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii;. Humans are the only reservoir of P. jirovecii.

The risk of pcp is common among who have CD4+T cell counts of < 200/µL. Recurrent fever, non productive cough, night sweats and unexplained weight loss are the main clinical features of pcp. Symptoms may be subtle at first but gradually progress and may be present for several weeks before diagnosis.  The incidence of pcp is reaching zero in patients with known HIV infection receiving appropriate cART and prophylaxis in developed countries, the prevalence of AIDS related PCP in developing countries remains high and poorly controlled.

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Dr Parvathy .S

Junior Resident, Department of  General Medicine, Kanyakumari  Government Medical College