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Pneumocystis Pneumonia: From Bench to Clinic
- Henry Masur, MD;
- H. Clifford Lane, MD;
- Joseph A. Kovacs, MD;
- Carmen J. Allegra, MD; and
- Jeffrey C. Edman, MD
Abstract
Pneumocystis carinii is an intriguing organism found almost exclusively in the lungs. Very little is known about this organism's biologic or epidemiologic character. Over the past two decades, P. carinii has been recognized with increasing frequency as a cause of pneumonia in cancer patients, transplant recipients, and patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). With the increased number of cases of P. carinii pneumonia and a greater emphasis on studying this organism, sophisticated immunologic, metabolic, and molecular biologic tools have been applied to enhance diagnosis, therapy, and prevention. Immunologic studies have identified specific antigens of human P. carinii, resulting in the development of new diagnostic tests and more specific serologic data. Metabolic studies have allowed screening and identification of new therapeutic and preventive drugs. The development of nucleic acid libraries has allowed enzymes and other proteins to be elaborated in large quantities, facilitating a wide range of studies. These new techniques have changed and will continue to change the ways that pneumocystis pneumonia is diagnosed, treated, prevented, and understood.
Article and Author Information
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An edited summary of a Clinical Staff Conference held 30 November 1988 at the Amphitheater, Building 10, Bethesda, Maryland. The conference was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Authors who wish to cite a section of the conference and specifically indicate its author can use this example for the form of reference:
Lane HC. Immunologic bases for susceptibility, pp 813-815. In: Masur H, moderator. Pneumocystis pneumonia: from bench to clinic. Ann Intern Med. 1989;111:813-826.
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Requests for Reprints: Henry Masur, MD, National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Critical Care Medicine, Room 10D48, Bethesda, MD 20892.
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Current Author Addresses: Drs. Masur and Kovacs: National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Room 10D48, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Dr. Lane: National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Room 11B09, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Dr. Allegra: National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Room 12C208, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Dr. Edman: Hormone Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0534.
- ©1989 American College of Physicians
