(sangabriel @ Apr. 10 2006,01:27) Dr. Housestaff,
I never said a "CD4<200 is necessary in order to get opportunitic infections like PCP". I used the word "typically." Again, common things are common and the most common reason for a LB prostitute, or really anyone these days, to be immunosuppressed is not because they have had an organ transplant and are on immunosuppressive medications.
Furthermore, Pneumocystis jiroveci can be considered a parasite. I think that you are confusing "parasite" with "protozoan". Go here to the CDC website if you don't believe me.
Cheers!
I never said a "CD4<200 is necessary in order to get opportunitic infections like PCP". I used the word "typically." Again, common things are common and the most common reason for a LB prostitute, or really anyone these days, to be immunosuppressed is not because they have had an organ transplant and are on immunosuppressive medications.
Furthermore, Pneumocystis jiroveci can be considered a parasite. I think that you are confusing "parasite" with "protozoan". Go here to the CDC website if you don't believe me.
Cheers!
actually, i never said that it was you that it was your belief that a CD4<200 was necessary for opportunistic infections like PCP. rather, i put this comment in for those people who either don't have the time or education or inclination to learn this information for themselves. so i was trying to broaden the conversation and hopefully help others learn as well. why is it necessary to inform people at all? well it seems pretty clear that many people did not get the initial PCP comment you made implying that Oy may had died from AIDS (hence, the tangent about PCP-Yaba link). So in an effort to continue to inform... it seemed rational to mention that there are other patient populations at risk for opportunitist infections in hopes that people won't jump to conclusions or make the wrong connections after learning that someone has this disease.
unfortunately, you took these as a comment on your level of knowledge and got defensive. perhaps a chill pill would help you out occasionally. perhaps, after reading your "flame on comment"...i should have typed in big letters that EVERYTHING I AM SAYING AFTER THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK ON SANGABRIEL, JUST IN CASE HE HAS VERY THIN SKIN AND WANTS TO BE SARCASTIC. thanks for the common things are common comment. wow, that is pretty enlightening. i mean i never, ever heard that comment on the wards. shocker.
also, i do know the difference between protozoan and parasite. shocking as it may sound the distinction is pretty basic micro 101, but categorization of specific organism was still up for debate when i last reviewed the literature. this may be largely a question of semantics. let me explain...i am pretty old school in terms of medical terminology. medical parasitology as it was taught within the last five years (since med school) has "traditionally been concerned only with the parasitic protozoa, helminths, and arthropods." Medical Microbiology by Jawetz et al. Given that PCP is not a protozoan, helminth, or arthropod many (granted not all) specialists consider it a non parasite. Although there is another camp which has valid points in that given the fastidious nature of PCP it is behaving like a parsite. A major driving force from many in this camp was the miscategorization of PCP as a protozoa. As I said above, I am more of a traditionalist in defining parasites and fall more in the former camp. While some may quibble about whether or not PCP is a parasite, I think the medical establishment is pretty firm in placing it as a fungus. Thus, I tend to call it a fungus and leave it at that. caveat is microbiology is not my area. Rather, I am a radiologist and I have been around long enough to know that these fields change quickly so what I say is not gospel.
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