Influence of CD4+ status on the invasiveness of pneumococcal pneumonia in HIY patients
The frequency of bacterial pneumonia, mainly due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, in HIV-positive patients has increased (1). The risk is higher among those with CD4+ lymphocyte counts below 200/ml 3 (1). Furthermore, the incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia in i.v. drug abusers, whether H1V infected or not, is higher than that in homosexual or bisexual men (1, 2). Although the clinical characteristics of pneumococcal pneumonia are similar in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients, the incidence of bacteremia is higher in the HIV-positive population (3).