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Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal infection of mainly the lungs, presenting as a pneumonia, and in the brain, where it appears as a meningitis. [4] [9] Coughing, difficulty breathing, chest pain and fever are seen when the lungs are infected. [5]
Meningitis is an unusual manifestation of blastomycosis and can be very difficult to diagnose. Cryptococcus (Cryptococcal meningitis) - it is thought to be acquired through inhalation of soil contaminated with bird droppings. C. neoformans is the most common pathogen to cause fungal meningitis.
Some of the possible symptoms of chronic meningitis (due to any cause) include headache, nausea and vomiting, fever, and visual impairment. Nuchal rigidity (or neck stiffness with discomfort in trying to move the neck), a classic symptom in acute meningitis, was seen in only 45% of cases of chronic meningitis with the sign being even more rare in non-infectious causes.
Cryptococcus gattii, formerly known as Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii, is an encapsulated yeast found primarily in tropical and subtropical climates. Its teleomorph is Filobasidiella bacillispora, a filamentous fungus belonging to the class Tremellomycetes.
Fungal meningitis, such as cryptococcal meningitis, is treated with long courses of high dose antifungals, such as amphotericin B and flucytosine. [55] [82] Raised intracranial pressure is common in fungal meningitis, and frequent (ideally daily) lumbar punctures to relieve the pressure are recommended, [55] or alternatively a lumbar drain. [53]
The capsule functions as the major virulence factor in cryptococcal infection and disease. [5] Some Cryptococcus species have a huge diversity at the infraspecific level with different molecular types based on their genetic differences, mainly due to their geographical distribution, molecular characteristics, and ecological niches. [6]
"Meningitis vaccines are now routinely indicated as a part of childhood immunization, so a child vaccinated against the various meningococcus strains has little to fear," Adalja says. Ganjian agrees.
Cryptococcal antigen from cerebrospinal fluid is thought to be the best test for diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis in terms of sensitivity, though it might be unreliable in HIV-positive patients. [12] The first genome sequence for a strain of C. neoformans (var. neoformans; now C. deneoformans) was published in 2005. [5]