Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pulmonary fungal pathogen that disseminates to the CNS causing fatal meningitis in immunocompromised patients. Dendritic cells (DCs) phagocytose C. neoformans following inhalation. Following uptake, cryptococci translocate to the DC lysosomal compartment and are killed by oxidative and non-oxidative mechanisms. DC lysosomal extracts kill cryptococci i...

A 40-year-old HIV-positive man was admitted to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in December 2001 with a history of severe headache, photophobia and fever. Indian ink staining of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed yeast cells with 3 5 budding forms per high-power field. A diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis was made and the patient was started on amphotericin B. He reacted to this almost immediately, ...

The penetration of cefoxitin into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was studied in 25 patients with purulent meningitis treated with antibiotics other than cefoxitin. Each patient received three 2-g doses of cefoxitin at 6-h intervals. Blood and CSF samples were obtained before and at 2, 4, or 6 h after the first and third doses. CSF cefoxitin concentrations were found in all patients and varied betwee...

BACKGROUND Cryptococcal infection is a common opportunistic infection among severely immunosuppressed HIV patients and is associated with high mortality. Positive cryptococcal antigenemia is an independent predictor of cryptococcal meningitis and death in patients with severe immunosuppression. We evaluated the prevalence and factors associated with cryptococcal antigenemia among patients with ...

Neurological disorders were studied in 18 patients diagnosed to have AIDS and their findings are analysed. Amongst the problems seen were toxoplasmosis (9), cryptococcal meningitis (5), tuberculous meningitis (1), AIDS dementia complex (3), peripheral neuropathy (2), vertebrobasilar stroke, and a possible AIDS myelopathy in one case each. Their findings are discussed, and literature on the neur...

INTRODUCTION — Disseminated Cryptococcus neoformans infection is a serious opportunistic infection that occurs in patients with untreated AIDS [1]. Although cryptococcal infection begins in the lungs, meningitis is the most frequently encountered manifestation of cryptococcosis among those with advanced immunosuppression. However, the infection is more properly characterized as "meningoencephal...

INTRODUCTION Cryptococcal meningitis is the most common cause of adult meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa. Raised intracranial pressure (ICP) is common in cryptococcosis. Prior studies suggest elevated ICP is associated with mortality, and guidelines recommend frequent lumbar punctures (LPs) to control ICP. However, the magnitude of the impact of LPs on cryptococcal-related mortality is unknown. ...

BACKGROUND Most cases of cryptococcal meningitis occur in patients with HIV infection: the course and outcome of disease in the apparently immunocompetent is much more poorly understood. We describe a cohort of HIV uninfected Vietnamese patients with cryptococcal meningitis in whom underlying disease is uncommon, and relate presenting features of patients and the characteristics of the infectin...

Abstract Among 472 patients with human immunodeficiency virus-associated cryptococcal meningitis, 16% had severe visual loss at presentation, and 46% of these were 4-week survivors remained severely impaired. Baseline cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure ?40 cmH2O (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36–4.83; P = .02) fungal burden >6.0 log10 colonies/mL (aOR...