PULMONARY PARACOCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS MISDIAGNOSED AS PNEUMOCYSTIS-PNEUMONIA IN AN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED HOST

Yeast cells of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis can resemble the cysts of Pneumocystis carinii in smears stained with Grocott's modification of the Gomori methanamine silver stain. Furthermore, P. brasiliensis cal l crossreact in material stained with a widely used P. carinii immunof luorescent stain which uses monoclonal antibodies. The need to differe ntiate P. brasiliensis and P. carinii will become more important as th e increasing incidence of immunosuppression results in the reactivatio n of latent P. brasiliensis infections.