Nika Pierre-Louis: Nika Pierre-Louis and Brian Dlugos were critical care physician assistants in the medical ICU at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, when this article was written. Ms. Pierre-Louis now works in the ED at CHI/St. Alexius Health in Bismarck, N.D. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a common infection among susceptible patients with compromised immune function and can lead to life-threatening complications without prompt recognition and appropriate treatment. Clinicians should be aware that patients can develop severe infection even while receiving approved prophylactic medications for PJP. Furthermore, atypical radiographic findings, such as the cavitary lung lesions found in the patient in this case report, can make the diagnosis even more challenging.
