The incidence of cryptococcosis in patients with AIDS is significant. Predisposing factors, laboratory findings and outcome were assessed in 60 patients with cryptococcal infections of the central nervous system over a 17.5-year period (Jan. 1978-June 1995). Predisposing factors for cryptococcal infection were identified in 36 patients, with HIV infection being the commonest (18). Cryptococcal ...

Correspondence: Dr Amit Agrawal Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, K.S. Hegde Medical Academy, Nityananda Nagar, Mangalore-575108, Karnataka,India. E-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION Cryptococcosis has dramatically increased in frequency as a result of the pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and an enlarging population of other immuno...

Cryptococcosis remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected patients, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where it causes up to 20 % of AIDS-related deaths in HIV programs. A new, highly sensitive, and affordable point of care diagnostic test for cryptococcal infection, the lateral flow assay, can detect early sub-clinical cryptococcosis especially in areas with limite...

Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes fatal infection in immunocompromised individuals, has an elaborate polysaccharide capsule surrounding its cell wall. The cryptococcal capsule is the major virulence factor of this fungal organism, but its biosynthetic pathways are virtually unknown. Extracellular polysaccharides of eukaryotes may be made at the cell membrane or within the secretory pathway....

Cryptococcus neoformans is the most common cause of laboratory-confirmed meningitis in South Africa. 1 Despite the increased coverage of antiretroviral treatment (ART), the country' s incidence of cryptococcal meningitis remains high, and in routine care settings, the disease has a case-fatality ratio of >50% at 12 weeks post-diagnosis. 2-4 Screening and pre-emptive antifungal treatment is desi...

UNLABELLED The human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is capable of infecting a broad range of hosts, from invertebrates like amoebas and nematodes to standard vertebrate models such as mice and rabbits. Here we have taken advantage of a zebrafish model to investigate host-pathogen interactions of Cryptococcus with the zebrafish innate immune system, which shares a highly conserved frame...

Cryptococcal meningitis is a leading cause of death in AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa. Cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) can be detected weeks before onset of symptoms, and those who are asymptomatic but CRAG positive have a high risk of subsequent cryptococcal meningitis and mortality. A new CRAG point of care immunochromatographic test is available that is remarkably easy to administer without...

No association between human herpesvirus 6 reactivation and cryptococcosis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a part of the virus subfamily betaherpes. A recent in vitro study suggested that HHV-6 may dysregulate monocyte-mediated anti-cryptococcal defences with an overall pro-cryptococcus result (Cermelli et al., 2006). Briefly, co-cultures of THP1...

PURPOSE This study evaluates the effectiveness of cranial CT and MR in detecting autopsy findings of AIDS-related CNS cryptococcosis. METHODS Final imaging studies compared with pathology were CT in eight patients (five with contrast) and MR in five patients (all with Gd-DTPA). RESULTS Neither modality effectively identified cryptococcal meningitis. Punctate hyperintensities were seen in al...

Background. HIV-positive people starting combined antiretroviral therapy may develop immune reconstitution to latent or treated opportunistic infections. Immune reconstitution to cerebral Cryptococcus is poorly understood and can be fatal. Case Presentation. A 33-year-old Zimbabwean female presented with cryptococcal meningitis and newly diagnosed HIV with a CD4 count of 51 cells/ μ L (4%). She...