Identification and treatment of a patient with pneumocystis pneumonia (case report)

Abstract

A case of pneumocystis pneumonia was diagnosed on clinical and mycological grounds. A 35 - year - old man was presented with severe chest infection. His medical history included lymphoma for 5 years and under treatment with cytotoxic drugs. The patient diagnosed as a case of pneumonia and treated with antibiotics for one week but with no response. Later on, his sputum was sent for mycological examination that revealed the cysts and trophic forms of pneumocystis jirovecii. Good response with complete healing was achieved after 3 weeks of treatment with co-trimoxazole. Pneumocystis pneumonia may be suspected clinically in hospitalized patients, but this is the first case to be confirmed mycologicaly in Mosul. Good awareness of the full clinical spectrum of the disease aided by mycological study is needed to minimize the misdiagnosis of cases. Keywords: Pneumocystis jirovecii, pneumocystis pneumonia, pneumocystosis