Pulmonary Cryptococcosis in HIV- sero-negative patients: case series from India

• Published in: Mycoses Vol. 58; no. 5; pp. 288 - 293
• Main Authors: Chopra, Shimpi, Capoor, Malini R., Mallik, Rupali, Gupta, Sonal, Ray, Animesh, Khanna, Geetika, Suri, J. C., Bhattacharya, D., Raghavan, Samudrala
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2015
• Subjects: Adult; Antifungal Agents - therapeutic use; antifungal therapy; Causality; Child; Cryptococcosis - diagnosis; Cryptococcosis - drug therapy; Cryptococcosis - etiology; Cryptococcosis - microbiology; Diabetes Complications; Female; Follow-Up Studies; HIV Seronegativity; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; India; Lung Diseases, Fungal - diagnosis; Lung Diseases, Fungal - drug therapy; Lung Diseases, Fungal - etiology; Lung Diseases, Fungal - microbiology; Male; Mycobacterium; non-AIDS patients; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma - complications; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - diagnosis; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - drug therapy; Puerperal Infection - diagnosis; Pulmonary cryptococcosis; Recurrence; relapse; Time Factors; Young Adult; India; antifungal therapy; non-AIDS patients; relapse; Pulmonary cryptococcosis
• ISSN: 0933-7407; 1439-0507
• DOI: 10.1111/myc.12313

Summary Pulmonary cryptococcosis is likely to be misdiagnosed due to relatively non‐specific clinical and radiological features. It is more frequently associated with immuno‐suppressed conditions especially acquired immuno‐deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Four cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis were diagnosed over a period of eleven years. All patients in this case series were human immune‐deficiency virus (HIV)‐negative. The predisposing factors in these patients were diabetes mellitus (DM), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), post‐partum and pregnancy in one each of the patients. Relapse was seen in two cases. All the patients survived due to strict follow‐up. Pulmonary cryptococcosis is common in non‐AIDS patients and it warrants rapid diagnosis, treatment and follow‐up to prevent relapse.