title: Prevention and treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.
abstract: Several drugs are now available for the treatment and prevention of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. These include trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and pentamidine isethionate as first-line drugs and dapsone-trimethoprim, trimetrexate, piritrexim, fansidar, difluoromethylornithine, and clindamycin plus primaquine as drugs in later stages of clinical development. A hydroxynaphthoquinone, called 566C80, offers promise in preclinical studies. The use of corticosteroids in the supportive management of P. carinii pneumonitis is undergoing clinical study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control