What is pneumocystis pneumonia?

Hey there, my fellow Homo sapiens! Have you ever heard of the pneumocystis pneumonia? No? Do not worry; it is totally not your fault. After all, what can be more boring than medical conditions that make you sound like a Greek philosopher coughing haikus?

Well, my friend, do yourself a favor and buckle up – cause this article will take you on one heck of a ride as we explore this mysterious lung disease.

What is Pneumocystis Pneumonia?

Let us start by answering the most fundamental question for those who don’t know: What’s this pneumonia thingamajig in the first place?

For starters, understand that people often refer to ‘pneumonia’ as an umbrella term for any inflammation or infection in our lungs. However, when it is referred to as something specific such as “Pneumocystis”, they are usually referring to a particular organism called ‘P. jirovecii.’

Who named it tho?

Ya’ll remember Josef Jirovec from Chemistry class? The guy who discovered Plague/Caviae bacillus (Bordetella bronchiseptica)? Well if no one did y’all should probably pay attention instead of ogling random people in your classroom 😉 That man gave his name to the bacteria which then went ahead and snatched itself onto our topic here too.

Nowadays we just call it pneumocystis though because ain’t nobody got time for proper biologists terminologies.

In other words- “The tricky little buggers that give us pneumonia.”

How do You Get Infected?

Usually,immunocompromised individuals, ahem…coughs…murmurs … AIDs patients ..are at higher risk! Fun, right? These little Pneumocystis pests take up residence in their lungs and wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am… Pneumonia punch at your service.

Here’s a fun fact for ya – babies are born with pneumocystis fungi in their lung tissues. They usually clear by the time our littles ones start walking around (making mischief), but sometimes (sighs resignedly) they hang around for too long and wreak havoc on someone’s respiratory system down the line.

How Does it Feel Like to Have It?

Imagine this; you have a mild fever that feels like 49 Covid Vaccine shots at once- Bodyaches that make no sense, chills galore while sweating profusely/ how does one even sweat a whole bucket of water within an hour…hmph!-then boom lung involvement which leads to cracked jokes because gotta keep spirits up!

The usual suspects are shortness of breath and cough. Your oxygen levels might drop too making it difficult for you to breathe leading to some poor patient being hooked onto Oxygen masks (the perfect fashion accessory!).

Anywho lets get back..

Where is this Fungus Found?

When these resident evil causing fungal cells go missing from human lungs …they still got places where they chill out…..lead a party life….(Never said anyone invited them!)….They can be found just hanging out with rats or cats (no fairness here!), birds ..

Inhibiting common areas such as Soil, Water sources.. basically wherever mold loves huh!

What Happens if You Get This?

Oh boy!! Anyone ready for some more fun facts?! Suspicion rises when there is evidence of advanced HIV disease without any defensive CD4-killing T-cells present. Guidelines often propogate prophylactic measures . Then comes Intense prescribed medicines covering antibiotics lest bacterial infiltration to secure patients’ airways. Imagining the pain killers one must take too with constant vomitting, fights over which Disney holding’s character is superior!, basically stuff you wouldn’t mind skipping out on ….

How did I forget?… A patient may also develop a secondary bacterial infection as well…. casual hangout right?!?.. Pneumocystis pneumonia coupled with a bacterial sidekick.

How to Get Rid of it?

First and foremost – let’s address the elephant in the room – this isn’t exactly like fighting King Kong. It’ll just require some effort put in by medical professionals while chucking heavy dosages of medications aimed at keeping nasty little microbes at bay so that patient gets along fine . Through-out treatment monitoring for any Absurd reactions might step up complications i.e “incidence fatality”.

In extreme cases- intubation (a tube running through your throat into lungs) can be used since medicines may cause acute respiratory distress sydrome.

A word of caution: These strong doses of meds have more Side effects than Kim Kardashian has controversies!!
Here are some possible ones:

  1. Nausea that makes a merry go round look peaceful.
  2. Mouth ulcers sadly won’t make you sound sexy like vampires do.
  3. Mood changes that will raise stakes every hour!
  4. Bruising tendencies……say hello to random bruises!

The bottom line; getting treated for Pneumocystis pneumonia requires wearing your brave pants because counting Dollars isn’t always an easy decision.

Take Home Message

Now then my fellow readers- What have we learned today about our lovely topic?

To summarize;

We looked into what ‘Pneumocystic pneumonia’ really entails and where these naughty fungal brothers come from! We found out there ain’t no running away when times get tough, but keep spirits high and all will work itself out.

And, the best part? Think of all that random trivia knowledge you just learned! So go put your newfound wisdom to use and be a hit at the next dinner party on Zoom.

Thank you for joining me in today’s lesson, folks. Stay safe, stay curious…and don’t forget to wash your hands!

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