Eight patients with AIDS were treated orally with 800 mg of fluconazole daily for cryptococcal meningitis for a mean duration of 4.5 months. Previous antifungal treatment had failed for all of the patients. No major toxicity was observed. Three patients died from cryptococcal infection. High-dose fluconazole may be effective salvage therapy for cryptococcal meningitis.

BACKGROUND Cryptococcal meningitis is a common opportunistic infection in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected individuals. There is little information specifically addressing cryptococcal meningitis in HIV-infected patients from North India. AIMS To determine clinical presentation, hospital course, response to treatment, complications developed, in-hospital mortality, any recurrence o...

EN: erythema nodosum PCC: primary cutaneous cryptococcal INTRODUCTION Members of the Cryptococcus genus are opportunistic encapsulated yeasts that cause significant morbidity and mortality most often in immunocompromised hosts. Clinically, cryptococcal infections manifestmost commonlyasmeningitis or a respiratory infection. The cryptococcal species are Cryptococcus neoformans, Cryptococcus gatt...

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from eight patients with cryptococcal meningitis, from ten patients with viral meningitis, and from four control patients without meningitis were analyzed by electron-capture gas-liquid chromatography (EC-GLC). All cryptococcal specimens had similar EC-GLC profiles, and these differed from those of the controls. Viral EC-GLC patterns were different from those obtained ...

The stability of cryptococcal antigen from Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A and D strains at different temperatures in serum and other solvents was studied. Samples stored at -20 or 4 degrees C had equivalent stabilities as measured by the Premier Cryptococcal Antigen kit and the Cryptococcal Antigen Latex Agglutination System (CALAS) kit. However, using the Premier Cryptococcal Antigen kit, ...

Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans var. grubii and C. neoformans var. neoformans) and C. gattii are responsible for most cases of cryptococcal meningitis worldwide [1]. The disease of cryptococcal meningitis has been well documented in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and it may also occur in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients even with apparently n...

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia in a UK HIV cohort and compare baseline characteristics of patients with and without cryptococcal antigenemia. METHODS Stored sera were retrospectively tested for cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) among newly diagnosed HIV-infected persons with CD4 < 100 cells/μL, who presented to Croydon University and St George's Hospitals, London...

BACKGROUND Correlates of immune protection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated cryptococcal meningitis are poorly defined. A clearer understanding of these immune responses is essential to inform rational development of immunotherapies. METHODS Cryptococcal-specific peripheral CD4(+) T-cell responses were measured in 44 patients with HIV-associated cryptococcal meni...

OBJECTIVE To describe the frequency of diagnosis of cryptococcosis among HIV-infected patients in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, at programme entry, to investigate associated risk factors, and to determine the incidence of cryptococcal meningitis. METHODS We analysed individual monitoring data from 11,970 HIV-infected adults enrolled between 1999 and 2008. We used Kaplan-Meier naïve methods to estimat...

Recently, it has been demonstrated that the opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans can synthesize authentic immunomodulatory prostaglandins. The mechanism by which this takes place is unclear as there is no cyclooxygenase homologue in the cryptococcal genome. In this study, we show that cryptococcal production of both PGE(2) and PGF(2 alpha) can be chemically inhibited by caffeic...