Fatal Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in a non-immunocompromised patient with alcohol-related liver cirrhosis.

This report presents the fatal case of a 63-year-old man with a new presentation of liver cirrhosis, presumed concurrent acute alcoholic hepatitis and development of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. The patient had none of the traditional immunosuppressing risk factors associated with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia such as corticosteroid use, haematological malignancy or HIV infection. In the literature, there are two case reports and a case series of two patients which describe the development of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in acute alcoholic hepatitis. However, all of these previously described cases include identifiable risk factors - namely corticosteroid use and HIV infection. This case suggests that special consideration should be given to Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia as a cause of opportunistic infection in acute alcoholic hepatitis.