-kəˈrīnēˌē- noun
also pneumocystis pneumonia
Usage: usually capitalized 1st P
Etymology: New Latin Pneumocystis carinii , species name
: a pneumonia that affects individuals whose immunological defenses have been compromised by malnutrition, by other diseases (as cancer or AIDS), or by artificial immunosuppressive techniques (as after organ transplantation), that is caused by a microorganism of the genus Pneumocystis ( P. carinii ), and that attacks especially the interstitium of the lungs with marked thickening of the alveolar septa and of the alveoli — abbreviation PCP