Pneumocystis pneumonia causing cavitating lung nodules in an immunocompetent individual

Abstract

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is a potential life-threatening pulmonary infection which commonly manifests in immunosuppressed patients especially with HIV, with underlying malignancies, severe malnutrition as well as those on immunosuppressive treatments. There have been case reports of symptomatic PCP in individuals with a normally functioning immune system with typical clinical features and radiologic findings of bilateral and diffuse interstitial opacities. However, PCP in immunocompetent individuals presenting with lung nodules had been rarely reported. We report a 53-year-old immunocompetent gentleman who presented with subacute cough, progressive shortness of breath and radiographic findings of multiple lung nodules with central cavitation. The diagnosis of PCP was made by detection of PCP DNA PCR in bronchoalveolar lavage sample following fibreoptic bronchoscopy. This case also highlights the atypical radiographic findings of multiple cavitating lung nodules as a presentation of PCP in an immunocompetent patient.