Successful treatment of Cryptococcus gattii neurocryptococcosis in a 5-year-old immunocompetent child from the French Guiana Amazon region

• Published in: Revista iberoamericana de micologia Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 210 - 213
• Main Authors: Debourgogne, Anne, Hagen, Ferry, Elenga, Narcisse, Long, Laurence, Blanchet, Denis, Veron, Vincent, Lortholary, Olivier, Carme, Bernard, Aznar, Christine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Spain Elsevier Espana 01.10.2012
• Subjects: Amphotericin B; Case reports; Central Nervous System Fungal Infections - therapy; Child, Preschool; Children; Cryptococcosis; Cryptococcosis - therapy; Cryptococcus; Cryptococcus gattii; Female; French Guiana; Genotypes; Guyana francesa; Humans; Infection; Infectious Disease; Neurocriptococcosis; Neurocryptococcosis; Niños; Remission Induction; Risk factors; Surgery; French Guiana; Cryptococcus gattii; French Guiana; Niños; Children; Neurocriptococcosis; Guyana francesa; Neurocryptococcosis
• ISSN: 1130-1406; 2173-9188
• DOI: 10.1016/j.riam.2012.01.008

AbstractCompared to the incidence in adults, cryptococcosis is rare among children. We report a case of neurocryptococcosis due to Cryptococcus gattii in a five-year-old girl without identified risk factors living in French Guiana. Neurological surgery in combination with long-term antifungal treatment with amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine successfully resolved the cryptococcal infection. Subsequent molecular characterization of the Cryptococcus isolate revealed that the infection was caused by a C. gattii genotype AFLP6B/VGIIb strain.