Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia treated with alpha-difluoromethylornithine. A prospective study among patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is a protozoal infection that, in the setting of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is often lethal and unresponsive to conventional therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or pentamidine. In the present study, we have prospectively assessed the use of alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis, in the treatment of P carinii pneumonia in patients with AIDS who were intolerant or unresponsive to conventional drugs. Improvement by both clinical and objective criteria was observed in six patients who completed six to eight weeks of DFMO therapy. Expansion of these early trials of DFMO is warranted.