THE RISK OF NOSOCOMIAL PNEUMOCYSTIS-CARIN II PNEUMONIA AMONG IMMUNO-COMPROMIZED PATIENTS NOT INFECTED BY HIV

We report four cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-seronegative patients. Two of them had be en hospitalized for polymyositis treatment near AIDS patients, respect ively 1 and 4 months before PCP. The two others suffered from localize d cancer. Their evolution was complicated by respiratory distress and death in two of them. A telephone survey among 19 hospital units yield ed nine cases of similar patients. They were only observed in wards ca ring for AIDS patients at the same time, thus raising the question of a possible nosocomial transmission of PCP between AIDS patients and im munocompromized HIV-seronegative patients. This adds to the growing co ncern for hospital-acquired infections, including resistant tuberculos is and other opportunistic pathogens. We propose some practical measur es to limit this risk by simple means such as no-contact between at-ri sk populations, enhanced disinfection procedures of the rooms and mask ing of the coughing PCP patients.