Unexpected case of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in a patient with long-standing well-controlled HIV infection

Hyun Ah Yoon; Paul F Riska; Ruchika Jain; Cariane Morales; Liise-Anne Pirofski

doi:10.1016/j.mmcr.2021.01.003

Unexpected case of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in a patient with long-standing well-controlled HIV infection

Med Mycol Case Rep. 2021 Jan 26:32:14-16. doi: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2021.01.003. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Authors

Hyun Ah Yoon¹, Paul F Riska¹, Ruchika Jain¹, Cariane Morales¹, Liise-Anne Pirofski¹

Affiliation

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.

Abstract

Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis (CM) classically occurs in individuals with advanced HIV infection, solid organ transplants, or other immunocompromising conditions. We report a case of fatal CM in a 78-year-old woman with well-controlled HIV infection who had delayed diagnosis, persistently elevated intracranial pressure and pleocytosis of the cerebrospinal fluid. Initial suspicion for CM was low due to her relatively high CD4⁺ T cell counts, which likely contributed to greater inflammation.

Keywords: Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis; Cryptococcosis; HIV infection; Host immunity; Inflammatory response.

Publication types

Case Reports

Abstract

Publication types

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