ABSTRACT
Renal allograft recipients are at risk for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) within the first year following transplantation and during treatment for graft rejection. We experienced two cases of PCP in renal allograft recipients. The first case was a 39-year-old female who had received renal allograft 7 years before. At the time of traosplantation, she was a carrier of hepatitis B surface (HBs) antigen. After transplantation, she had been received the rnaintenance dose of cyclosporine and oral prednisolone. Three months before adrnission, dosage of prednisolone was increased because of the increased serum creatinine level and gene-ralized edema. A week before admission, syrnptom of exertional dyspnea, dry cough, and fever was developed. Chest X-ray film showed streaky interstitial infiltration in both lung fields and chest CT showed diffuse ground-glass appearance. Rroncho- alveolar lavage revealed positive Grocott's methenamine silver stain for numerous clumps of pneumocystis carinii cysts. Despite the aggressive treatment, she died of respiratory and hepatic failure and GI bleeding. Another case was a 40-year-old male who had received renal allograft S years before. He had been received maintenance immune suppressive therapy with cyclosporine and oral prednisolone. He was admitted for evaluation of hypertension and elevated serum creatinine level. After several days of admission, he complained fever, dry cough and dyspnea. X-ray film showed pneumonic infiltration and the bronchial brushing and washing fluid revealed the Pneumocystis carinii cysts that were stained by methenamine silver. He was treated with the full dose of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and clindamycin. Sacrificing the renal allograft, he recovered from Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.