What is the Aetiology of Pneumonia in HIV-infected Children in Developing Countries?
In 2003, the WHO published a meeting report on the importance of pneumonia in children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [1]. The authors stressed the difficulty in identifying the aetiology as a major hindrance to delivering appropriate treatment. Based on studies from six African countries the meeting report suggested that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were the most frequent causes of pneumonia. Pneumocystis jiroveci (previously Pneumocystis carinii) was considered to be the most important pathogen in severe pneumonia. This systematic review has performed a thorough search amongst the published literature to substantiate or refute the findings from that meeting report.
