Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal infection of mainly the lungs, presenting as a pneumonia, and brain, where it appears as a meningitis.[4][9] Cough, difficulty breathing, chest pain and fever are seen when the lungs are infected.[5] When the brain is infected, symptoms include headache, fever, neck pain, nausea and vomiting, light sensitivity and confusion or changes in behavior.[5] It can also affect other parts of the body including skin, where it may appear as several fluid-filled nodules with dead tissue.[6]
It is caused by the fungi Cryptococcus neoformans or less commonly Cryptococcus gattii, and is acquired by breathing in the spores from the air.[4] These fungi are found around the world in soil, decaying wood, pigeon droppings, and in the hollows of some species of trees.[9][11] Whereas C. neoformans generally infects people with HIV/AIDS and those on immunosuppressant drugs and does not usually affect fit and healthy people, C. gattii (found in some parts of Canada and the US) does.[9][11] Once breathed in, the dried yeast cells colonize the lungs, where they are either cleared by immune cells, lie dormant, or cause infection and spread.[12]
Diagnosis is by isolating Cryptococcus from a sample of affected tissue or direct observation of the fungus by using staining of body fluids.[9] It can be cultured from a cerebrospinal fluid, sputum, and skin biopsy.[9] Treatment is with fluconazole or amphotericin B.[9][10]
Data from 2009 estimated that of the almost one million cases of cryptococcal meningitis that occurred worldwide annually, 700,000 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and 600,000 per year died.[13] Cryptococcosis was rare before the 1970s which saw an increase in at-risk groups such as people with organ transplant or on immunosuppressant medications.[9] The number of cases escalated in the mid-1980s with over 80% occurring in people with HIV/AIDS.[9] Pigeon breeders (or otherwise people who spend significant time with pigeons) are known to have a high incidence of cryptococcal infections including PCC due to Cryptococcus' association with pigeon droppings.[14][15]
^"Cryptococcosis". NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders). Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^"Cryptococcosis". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07.
^ abc"ICD-11 - ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics". icd.who.int. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^ abcd"Symptoms of C. neoformans Infection | Fungal Diseases | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
^ abJohnstone, Ronald B. (2017). "25. Mycoses and Algal infections". Weedon's Skin Pathology Essentials (2nd ed.). Elsevier. p. 446. ISBN 978-0-7020-6830-0.
^"C. neoformans Infection | Fungal Diseases | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^"Where C. gattii Infection Comes From | Fungal Disease | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^ abcdefghijkMaziarz, Eileen K.; Perfect, John R. (2016). "Cryptococcosis". Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 30 (1): 179–206. doi:10.1016/j.idc.2015.10.006. ISSN 0891-5520. PMC 5808417. PMID 26897067.
^ ab"Treatment for C. neoformans Infection | Fungal Diseases | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
^ ab"Where C. neoformans Infection Comes From | Fungal Diseases | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^Sabiiti, Wilber; May, Robin C. (November 2012). "Mechanisms of infection by the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans". Future Microbiology. 7 (11): 1297–1313. doi:10.2217/fmb.12.102. ISSN 1746-0921. PMID 23075448.
^Vallabhaneni, Snigdha; Mody, Rajal K.; Walker, Tiffany; Chiller, Tom (2016). "1. The global burden of fungal disease". In Sobel, Jack; Ostrosky-Zeichner, Luis (eds.). Fungal Infections, An Issue of Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. Philadelphia: Elsevier. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-0-323-41649-8.
^Walter JE, Atchison RW. Epidemiological and immunological studies of Cryptococcus neoformans. J Bacteriol. 1966 Jul;92(1):82-7. doi: 10.1128/JB.92.1.82-87.1966. PMID 5328755; PMCID: PMC276199.
^Beatson M, Harwood M, Reese V, Robinson-Bostom L. Primary cutaneous cryptococcosis in an elderly pigeon breeder. JAAD Case Rep. 2019 May 7;5(5):433-435. doi: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2019.03.006. PMID 31192987; PMCID: PMC6510938.
prostate. Primary cutaneous cryptococcosis (PCC) is a distinct clinical diagnosis separate from the secondary cutaneous cryptococcosis that is spread from systematic...
beneath the skin. Systemic fungal infections are more serious and include cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, pneumocystis pneumonia, aspergillosis and mucormycosis...
characterized by granulomas include tuberculosis, leprosy, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, and cat-scratch disease. Examples...
infectious disease cryptococcosis (along with C. neoformans). Clinical manifestations of C. gattii infection include pulmonary cryptococcosis (lung infection)...
infections. This includes candidiasis, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, dermatophytosis, and tinea versicolor. It is also used...
aspergillosis, blastomycosis, candidiasis, coccidioidomycosis, and cryptococcosis. For certain infections it is given with flucytosine. It is typically...
(which causes histoplasmosis) and Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes cryptococcosis. Pigeons bred for meat are generally referred to as a meat or utility...
Retrieved 2019-12-09. Mada PK, Jamil RT, Alam MU (2019), "Cryptococcus (Cryptococcosis)", StatPearls, StatPearls Publishing, PMID 28613714, archived from the...
Cryptococcus species, resulting in an AIDS-defining illness such as cryptococcosis, representing 60% to 70% of all AIDS-defining cases, but not necessarily...
(literally "hidden berry"). Some Cryptococcus species cause a disease called cryptococcosis. The genus was described by French mycologist Jean Paul Vuillemin in...
have also been found to carry Cryptococcus neoformans, which can cause cryptococcosis in humans. House crows in Tanzania curiously showed an absence of blood...
Cryptococcosis of lung in patient with AIDS. Mucicarmine stain. Histopathology of lung shows widened alveolar septum containing a few inflammatory cells...
known as Valley Fever. Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that causes cryptococcosis, which can lead to pulmonary infection as well as nervous system infections...
metabolize ionizing radiation. Infection with C. neoformans is termed cryptococcosis. Most infections with C. neoformans occur in the lungs. However, fungal...
include Coccidioides immitis (valley fever), Cryptococcus neoformans (cryptococcosis), and Blastomyces dermatitidis ("North American Blastomycosis"). Entamoeba...
infections including candidiasis, blastomycosis, coccidiodomycosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, dermatophytosis, and pityriasis versicolor. In 1986...
used, together with amphotericin B, for serious Candida infections and cryptococcosis. It may be used by itself or with other antifungals for chromomycosis...
fungi. A similar appearance can be associated with histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and coccidioidomycosis. This begins as infection is recognized by the...
virus Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) No Cryptococcus neoformans Cryptococcosis Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain and fever India ink of the cerebrospinal...
untreated. These include aspergillosis, candidiasis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, mycetomas, and paracoccidioidomycosis. Furthermore...
lung disease, meningitis, and other illnesses in humans and animals Cryptococcosis (also called cryptococcal disease), a disease caused by Cryptococcus...
prescribed for systemic infections, such as aspergillosis, candidiasis, and cryptococcosis, where other antifungal drugs are inappropriate or ineffective.[citation...
immunosuppressants. Common infections associated with IRIS in these patients are cryptococcosis, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and tuberculosis. Neutropenic patients When...
(February 1, 2000). "Urease as a Virulence Factor in Experimental Cryptococcosis". Infection and Immunity. 68 (2): 443–448. doi:10.1128/IAI.68.2.443-448...
the malaria vector genus of mosquito, Anopheles, the fungi causing cryptococcosis, and sister species of Bactrocera tryoni, or the Queensland fruit fly...
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