[A case of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia with hyperinfection of Strongyloides stercoralis complicated with smoldering adult T-cell leukemia].
A 43-year-old woman visited a clinic for an attack of bronchial asthma which she had been suffering since her childhood. She was treated with prednisolone which was used for the first time. Two weeks later, she had a fever and her chest X-ray showed diffuse reticulonodular shadows on both middle to lower lung fields. In spite of the use of antibacterial drugs, her symptoms such as cough, dyspnea, malaise and fever increased. It was revealed that she had Stronglyoides sterocoralis in the stool. She was referred to our department for treatment and further examination. Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) was performed, and cyst of Pneumocystis carinii were histologically detected in the lung specimen. Anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antibody in the serum was 1:4,096 less than. Typical adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cells were also observed in the peripheral blood smear at the rate of 10-15% of leukocytes. The parasite was observed in the sputum too. We diagnosed her as having Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia with hyperinfection of Strongyloides stercoralis complicated with smoldering ATL, and the pneumonia might have been induced by steroid therapy (total doses of 500 mg, for 25 days). After sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (ST compound) was used for the Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, her symptoms markedly subsided, and the chest X-ray findings turned to normal by 45 days after the treatment. Thiabendazole was initially administered for the Strongyloidiasis and the parasite temporarily disappeared from both sputum and stool. Then pyrvinium pamoate and mebendazole were used, but the parasite could not be completely eradicated in the stool. We did not treat the smoldering ATL because there were no symptoms. We have been looking after her as an outpatient now, and she has neither symptoms nor signs.
First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa.
M
M
Udaka
N
N
Maehara
K
K
Tamaki
H
H
Fukuhara
H
H
Kaneshima
H
H
Nakamura
Y
Y
Irabu
K
K
Shimoji
K
K
Kitsukawa
Y
Y
Shigeno
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000150:complications*; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013321:Strongyloides; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000209:etiology*
D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies; D011239:Prednisolone