Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in infants infected with the human immunodeficiency virus with more than 450 CD4 T lymphocytes per cubic millimeter

PNEUMOCYSTIS carinii pneumonia (PCP) is the most common illness defining the presence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It occurred in 70 percent of the pediatric patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection whose cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control.¹ A child's first episode of PCP is frequently fatal; children who survive the initial attack have a mortality rate of approximately 90 percent during a second clinical episode.² Absolute CD4-lymphocyte counts have been shown to be a clinically useful indicator of immune function in HIV-infected patients. These counts are currently used to stratify HIV-infected adults.