Parasitic pneumonia

PNEUMONIA

Infectious pneumonias

Bacterial pneumonia Viral pneumonia Fungal pneumonia Parasitic pneumonia Atypical pneumonia Community-acquired pneumonia Ventilator-associated pneumonia Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Pneumonias caused by infectious or noninfectious agents

Aspiration pneumonia Lipid pneumonia Eosinophilic pneumonia Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia

Noninfectious pneumonia

Chemical pneumonia

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Parasitic pneumonia is an infection of the lungs by parasites. It is a rare cause of pneumonia, occurring almost exclusively in immunocompromised persons, such as persons suffering from AIDS.

There are a variety of parasites which can affect the lungs. In general, these parasites enter the body through the skin or by being swallowed. Once inside the body, these parasites travel to the lungs, most often through the blood. There, a similar combination of cellular destruction and immune response causes disruption of oxygen transportation.

The most common parasites involved:

• Toxoplasma gondii
• Strongyloides stercoralis
• Ascariasis
• Hookworm

See also

• Pneumonia

The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasitic_pneumonia under GFDL