[A case of adult T cell leukemia complicated with strongyloidiasis and amplification of pneumocystis carinii DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid].

The patient was a 75-year-old male, who simultaneously showed symptoms of bacterial meningitis during steroid treatment for erythroderma and symptoms of respiratory failure. Based on ground-glass shadows in both lungs on chest X ray, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was carried out and strongyloides was detected. In addition to strongyloidiasis, the patient was shown to have the complication of pneumocystis carinii (PC) pneumonia after PC DNA was detected in BAL fluid using a PCR assay. When other causes for immunodeficiency affecting the incidence of opportunistic infection were investigated, the ATL virus was detected in peripheral blood cells and monoclonal amplification was indicated, though the presence of anti-ATL antibody was negative. According to the results, this patient was found to have early stage adult T cell leukemia. In conclusion, we treated this adult T cell leukemia patient who had strongyloidiasis and amplification of PC DNA in BAL and for which the PCR assay, a new technology used for diagnosing PC pneumonia, was considered to be effective.