Very recent HIV infection accompanied by Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia and Mycobacterium avium complex immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome: a case report

A small proportion of HIV-infected patients rapidly progress to AIDS; indeed, some individuals have been known to progress to AIDS within a year after primary infection. Pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii (PCP) is the most frequent AIDS-defining illness. However, PCP can also rarely occur during primary HIV infection as a result of the severe immunosuppression that may accompany the early stage of HIV infection. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) comprises two distinct syndromes: paradoxical IRIS and unmasking IRIS. Infections with Mycobacterium avium complex during antiretroviral therapy are almost always localized and related to IRIS. We describe an unusual case of PCP and Mycobacterium avium complex-IRIS that occurred less than 3 months after primary HIV infection.