Cryptococcosis in the immunocompetent patient.

Cryptococcus gattii, formerly known as Cryptococcus neoformans var gattii, is an encapsulated yeast that causes disease in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed individuals. The organism enters via the respiratory tract and causes a spectrum of illness ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe illness, including pneumonia and disseminated infection involving multiple sites, including the central nervous system, eyes, and skin. We describe the case of a 25-year-old man without prior medical history who presented with a seizure and was found to have concurrent pulmonary and central-nervoussystem mass lesions that were due to cryptococcal infection. This case illustrates the importance of considering infectious causes such as C. gattii in the differential diagnosis of mass lesions involving multiple organ systems, regardless of the patient’s immune status.