Pseudomonas aeruginosa bronchopulmonary infection in late human immunodeficiency virus disease.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is unusual in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus infection, and it most often occurs in the setting of other risk factors, such as neutropenia or cytotoxic drug use. We noted an increasing number of pulmonary isolates of this organism in our clinic population and sought to describe the clinical correlates of this finding. Our study consisted of a retrospective review of the microbiology, radiology, and clinical records of 1,852 HIV-seropositive adults seen at a university-based outpatient AIDS clinic. We identified 16 individuals with Pseudomonas bronchopulmonary infection. All subjects had advanced HIV disease with prior AIDS diagnoses, and mean CD4 counts of 25/mm3 (0.025 x 10(9)/L). Pseudomonas was the sole pulmonary pathogen in 14 of 16 patients and was associated with new chest X-ray abnormalities in 14 cases. Four individuals had acute pseudomonal pneumonia with sepsis; this presentation was associated with hospitalization and other known risk factors for Pseudomonas infection. In contrast, 12 patients had more indolent, community-acquired infection, which had a low mortality rate and occurred in the absence of other risk factors. Survivors of the initial bout of Pseudomonas infection had an 86% relapse rate despite a median survival of only 4.5 months. This pattern of pseudomonal disease is reminiscent of cystic fibrosis and suggests a role for maintenance therapy.