What are differential diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis?

What are differential diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis?

Differential Diagnosis Pyogenic, Nocardial or Aspergillus abscess. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Histoplasma capsulatum infection.

What is the diagnosis of cryptococcosis?

Clinical diagnosis of cryptococcosis is suggested by symptoms of an indolent infection in immunocompetent patients and a more severe, progressive infection in immunocompromised patients. Chest x-ray, urine collection, and lumbar puncture are done first.

What disease is caused by Cryptococcus?

Cryptococcal meningitis is an infection caused by the fungus Cryptococcus after it spreads from the lungs to the brain. The symptoms of cryptococcal meningitis include: Headache. Fever.

What special technique can best diagnose cryptococcosis?

The diagnosis can be made by microscopic examination and/or culture of tissue or body fluids such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid and sputum. The cryptococcal antigen test is a rapid test that can be performed on blood and/or on cerebrospinal fluid to make the diagnosis.

Is cryptococcal meningitis viral or bacterial?

Cryptococcal meningitis is a fungal infection of the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord. These tissues are called meninges.

What causes meningoencephalitis?

Meningoencephalitis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoan or as secondary sequel of other inflammations like AIDS. The viral or aseptic meningoencephalitis is mainly caused by enteroviruses, varicella‐zoster viruses, herpes simplex viruses, or measles viruses.

What is cryptococcosis extrapulmonary?

Extrapulmonary cryptococcosis (EC) is a major opportunistic infection in adults who have the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), 1 although it has been infrequently reported in pediatric patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus, the etiologic agent of AIDS.

What are the signs and symptoms of cryptococcosis how it is treated?

What Are the Signs and Symptoms Cryptococcosis?

• Fever.
• Malaise.
• Pleuritic chest pain (sharp pain that occurs over the area of inflammation and increases with breathing movements)
• Cough, usually nonproductive.
• Hemoptysis (bloody or blood tinged sputum)
• Headache.
• Vision changes (blurry or double vision, photophobia)

What is the treatment for Cryptococcus?

Standard Therapies Among the antibiotics used to treat cryptococcosis are the anti-fungal agents Amphotericin B, Flucytosine, and Fluconazole. These drugs may have serious side effects, so it is important for their use to be monitored carefully.

Is Cryptococcus curable?

Cryptococcosis is an important opportunistic infection and a leading cause of meningitis in patients with HIV infection. The antifungal pharmacological treatment is limited to amphotericin B, fluconazole and 5- flucytosine.

What type of fungus is Cryptococcus?

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that lives in the environment throughout the world. People can become infected with C. neoformans after breathing in the microscopic fungus, although most people who are exposed to the fungus never get sick from it.

What is the most common cause of meningoencephalitis?

Viral infections are the most common cause of meningitis, followed by bacterial infections and, rarely, fungal and parasitic infections. Because bacterial infections can be life-threatening, identifying the cause is essential.

What is the name of the fungus that causes cryptococcosis?

Cryptococcosis is a systemic disease caused by the yeast-like fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. It is an encapsulated yeast which has five serotypes, A, B, C, D, and AD, of two varieties called neoformans (A, D, and AD) and gatii (B and C). The latter is more prevalent in Australasia.

What kind of oedema does cryptococcosis have?

Histology of cryptococcosis The yeast forms of cryptococcosis are usually surrounded by massive gelatinous oedema (figure 1, arrow). The surrounding inflammatory reaction depends on the stage of the clinical lesion and on the immune status of the patient.

Why is cryptococcosis called the Busse-Buschke disease?

Cryptococcosis is an important opportunistic infection that causes more than 100,000 HIV-related deaths each year. It was named the Busse-Buschke disease because of its first description by Otto Busse and Abraham Buschke in 1894.[1] Cryptococcosis is an important opportunistic infection that causes more than 100,000 HIV-related deaths each year.

What kind of stain is used for cryptococcosis?

Special stains for cryptococcosis The cryptococcus capsule stains intensely with the mucicarmine stain (figure 4). Grocott, mucicarmine, methenamine silver, toluidine blue, or methylene blue are sometimes required help illustrate the characteristic budding yeasts.