Abstract
Because of difficulties in in vitro cultivation, the basic Pneumocystis carinii studies have been carried out on animal models, mainly on rodents immunosuppressed by corticosteroids. Commonly used dexamethasone and methylprednisolone procedures were evaluated. The intensity of infection in rats was statistically significantly higher after 9 weeks' immunosuppression with methylprednisolone than with dexamethasone.