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. 2010 Feb;16(2):251-7.
doi: 10.3201/eid1602.090900.

Epidemiology of Cryptococcus gattii, British Columbia, Canada, 1999-2007

Eleni Galanis  1 , Laura Macdougall, Sarah Kidd, Mohammad Morshed; British Columbia Cryptococcus gattii Working Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Epidemiology of Cryptococcus gattii, British Columbia, Canada, 1999-2007

Eleni Galanis et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Feb.

Erratum in

  • Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Apr;16(4):750. Kidd, Sarah [added]; Morshed, Mohammad [added]; British Columbia Cryptococcus gattii Working Group [added]
  • Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 Sep;17(9):1784

Abstract

British Columbia, Canada, has the largest reported population of Cryptococcus gattii-infected persons worldwide. To assess the impact of illness, we retrospectively analyzed demographic and clinical features of reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths during 1999-2007. A total of 218 cases were reported (average annual incidence 5.8 per million persons). Most persons who sought treatment had respiratory illness (76.6%) or lung cryptococcoma (75.4%). Persons without HIV/AIDS hospitalized with cryptococcosis were more likely than those with HIV/AIDS to be older and admitted for pulmonary cryptococcosis. The 19 (8.7%) persons who died were more likely to be older and to have central nervous system disease and infection from the VGIIb strain. Although incidence in British Columbia is high, the predominant strain (VGIIa) does not seem to cause greater illness or death than do other strains. Further studies are needed to explain host and strain characteristics for regional differences in populations affected and disease outcomes.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of cases of Cryptococcus gattii infection and incidence rate per million population, by case-patient place of residence, British Columbia (BC), Canada, 1999–2007. Mainland, mainland BC; VI, Vancouver Island.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of Cryptococcus gattii strains among 124 persons with C. gattii infection, by age category, British Columbia, Canada, 1999–2007.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of hospitalizations for cryptococcosis among persons with and without HIV/AIDS, British Columbia, Canada, 1999–2006.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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