OBJECTIVES The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends screening HIV-infected people for cryptococcal antigens to identify cryptococcosis, a major cause of AIDS-related deaths. As the burden of cryptococcosis is unknown in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, we assessed the cryptococcal antigenuria prevalence among newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults there. METHODS We conducted a cross-...

BACKGROUND Cryptococcal infection has become a public health challenge globally. However, information about cryptococcal infection in patients with hematological diseases remains relatively rare. METHODS HIV-uninfected cryptococcosis cases with hematological diseases admitted to Huashan Hospital from January 2001 to December 2014 were reviewed. RESULTS In total, 33 cryptococcosis patients w...

Sera from nine patients with cryptococcal infections and from four with rheumatoid arthritis and positive rheumatoid factor were examined for the presence of cryptococcal capsular antigen by the latex agglutination method. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-heat treatment of the sera before testing possibly increased sensitivity as compared with the untreated sera, and the interfering rheumatoid f...

We report a fatal case of Schizophyllum commune empyema thoracis with cross-reactive cryptococcal antigenemia. In vitro testing confirmed the ability of the fungus to cause a positive cryptococcal antigen latex agglutination system (CALAS) test result. Such a result may lead to delay in diagnosis and treatment, as most strains of S. commune are resistant to fluconazole.

The cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) lateral flow assay (LFA) had 100% sensitivity and specificity on cerebrospinal fluid samples. Pretreatment LFA titers correlated with quantitative cultures (R(2) = 0.7) and predicted 2- and 10-week mortality. The CRAG LFA is an accurate diagnostic assay for CSF and should be considered for point-of-care diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis.

BACKGROUND Cryptococcal infection occurs in HIV-seropositive patients and is associated with high mortality. However, limited information is available on the prevalence and outcomes of cryptococcal antigenemia among hospitalized HIV-seropositive patients in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for cryptococcal antigenemia among HIV-seropositive patien...

BACKGROUND Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is an effective treatment for hydrocephalus. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) infection is a common complication. Cryptococcus neoformans as an implicated organism is rare. In this report, we describe a patient with cryptococcal VPS infection. CASE REPORT A 52-year-old male with normal pressure hydrocephalus, status post implantation of VPS one year pr...

BACKGROUND Cryptococcal meningitis is a leading cause of death among HIV-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent developments include the availability of intravenous fluconazole, cryptococcal antigen assays and new data to support fluconazole pre-emptive treatment. In this study, we describe the impact of screening HIV-positive adult inpatients with serum cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) ...