Histoplasmosis is a systemic infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. In immunocompromised patients, primary pulmonary infection can spread to the skin and meninges. Clinical manifestations appear in patients with a CD4(+) lymphocyte count of less than 150 cells/μL. Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis caused by Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. It can...

Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis is a leading of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals worldwide. However, there are few documented cases in immunocompetent patients. We present a rare case of disseminated Cryptococcus with progression to meningoencephalitis in an immunocompetent patient, with a possible atypical presentation. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and elect...

Meningitis in individuals living with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is most frequently infectious in origin and usually due to opportunistic infections. The most common pathogens are Cryptococcus neoformans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Treponema pallidum causes neurosyphilis and can complicate HIV infections at any time after the initial infection. Simultaneous infections of the ...

Rapid non-culture-dependent assays for identification of fungi quicken diagnosis and prompt treatment of invasive fungal disease. Fungal DNA extracts from pure cultures of the most frequently isolated fungal pathogens belonging to the Genera Aspergillus, Candida and Cryptococcus along with less common pathogenic Genera were amplified with the general fungal primer pair internal transcribed spac...

Fungal infection in the oral cavity is not uncommon. The site involved is usually species related. Cryptococcus rarely infects the oral cavity. We report an elderly patient who presented with a central lesion on the dorsum of the tongue. Biopsy revealed a fungal infection. Special stains confirmed cryptococcus. Being a rare location for cryptococcal infection, clinical suspicion should be corre...

1. Dromer F, Mathoulin S, Dupont B, Letenneur L, Ronin 0, the French Cryptococcus Study Group. Individual and environmental factors associated with infection due to Cryptococcus neoformans serotype D. Clin Infect Dis 1996; 23:91-6. 2. Singh N, Gayowski T, Wagener MM, Marino IR. Clinical spectrum of invasive cryptococcosis in liver transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus: pathogenic and ecolo...

A sensitive and diagnostically applicable conjugate for the rapid and accurate detection and identification of Cryptococcus neoformans has been developed. C. neoformans rabbit antisera were produced by 14 daily intravenous injections of 36 million cells for a total dosage of approximately 500 million cells. Cross-staining reactions with species of Cryptococcus other than C. neoformans, as well ...

BACKGROUND Meningitis continues to be one of the most important infections diagnosed and treated by emergency physicians. Despite the advent of anti-infective therapy, meningitis carries a mortality rate of 20%-40%. In this study, we describe the first reported emergency medicine case of meningitis associated with Cryptococcus gattii to alert providers of this insidious, emerging global pathoge...

Cryptococcus spp. other than Cryptococcus neoformans are generally considered nonpathogenic to humans. There are only 15 case reports of disease in humans caused by Cryptococcus laurentii infection. Underlying diseases and predisposing risk factors seem to play an important role in these cases. Our patient is the first case of an extremely low birth weight infant with C. laurentii fungemia repo...