A 37-year-old HIV-infected white woman with a CD4+ cell count of 29/μL and an HIV RNA level of 538,000 copies/mL presented with a 2-month history of pruritic blistering eruptions on the dorsal aspects of her hands and feet and hyperpigmentation of the face. The patient had no associated abdominal pain, neurological symptoms, urine discoloration, or light sensitivity. Her medical history include...

Pneumocystis jirovecii infection (PJP) is a common cause of pneumonia in patients with cancer-related immunosuppression. There are well-defined patients who are at risk of PJP due to the status of their underlying malignancy, treatment-related immunosuppression and/or concomitant use of corticosteroids. Prophylaxis is highly effective and should be given to all patients at moderate to high risk...

Pneumocystis jirovecii is an unusual ascomycetous fungus that can be detected in the lungs of healthy individuals. Transmission from human to human is one of its main characteristics in comparison with other fungi responsible for invasive infections. P. jirovecii is transmitted through the air between healthy individuals, who are considered to be the natural reservoir, at least transiently. In ...

Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS), the occurrence of dyspnea and arterial desaturation on changing from supine to sitting position, is a very rare phenomenon. Most case reports have been in association with an intra-atrial communication, and observation of this unusual physiological abnormality in pulmonary conditions has been extremely rare. We present a case of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosi...

Although infections are a major concern in patients with primary systemic vasculitis, actual knowledge about risk factors and evidence concerning the use of anti-infective prophylaxis from clinical trials are scarce. The use of high dose glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide pose a definite risk for infections. Bacterial infections are among the most frequent causes of death, with Staphylococcus...

Between January 2002 and July 2003, 173 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens from 150 patients (19 HIV-infected and 131 non-HIV-infected patients) were evaluated for identification of Pneumocystis jiroveci (formerly known as Pneumocystis carinii f. sp. hominis) using staining techniques, conventional PCR (mtLSUrRNA gene) and real-time PCR (MSG gene). Test results were compared to Pneumocystis...

Although infections are a major concern in patients with primary systemic vasculitis, actual knowledge about risk factors and evidence concerning the use of anti-infective prophylaxis from clinical trials are scarce. The use of high dose glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide pose a definite risk for infections. Bacterial infections are among the most frequent causes of death, with Staphylococcus...

Two patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that developed serious infectious complications following anti-TNFalpha therapy (infliximab) are reported. Patient 1 developed tuberculosis with high fever, refractory diarrhea and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Trans-bronchial needle biopsy was useful to confirm the diagnosis. Patient 2 showed sudden onset of dyspnea with diffuse bilateral lung infiltr...