Time-travel: Pneumocystis Pneumonia, Los Angeles

Five cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), all occurring in homosexual men, were reported in an article in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) of June 5^th, 1981. One man was aged 29, two were 30 years old, one was 33 and the other 36 years old.

At the time, the CDC (correctly) concluded:

All the above observations suggest the possibility of a cellular-immune dysfunction related to a common exposure that predisposes individuals to opportunistic infections such as pneumocystosis and candidiasis. Although the role of CMV infection in the pathogenesis of pneumocystosis remains unknown, the possibility of P. carinii infection must be carefully considered in a differential diagnosis for previously healthy homosexual males with dyspnea and pneumonia.

Pneumocystis Pneumonia --- Los Angeles