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Review
. 2010 Oct;21(10):679-84.
doi: 10.1258/ijsa.2010.010182.

An update on Cryptococcus among HIV-infected patients

T Warkentien  1 , N F Crum-Cianflone
Affiliations
Review

An update on Cryptococcus among HIV-infected patients

T Warkentien et al. Int J STD AIDS. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Cryptococcus remains an important opportunistic infection in HIV patients despite considerable declines in prevalence during the highly active antiretroviral therapy era. This is particularly apparent in sub-Saharan Africa, where Cryptococcus continues to cause significant mortality and morbidity. This review discusses the microbiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical presentation of cryptococcal infections in HIV patients. Additionally, a detailed approach to the management of cryptococcosis is provided.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no commercial or other association that might pose a conflict of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical images from a patient with AIDS who presented with cryptococcal fungemia. a. Gram stain from the positive blood culture showed narrow based budding yeast. b. The yeast grew on fungal media (Sabouraud dextrose agar), but also grew on routine media, chocolate agar and sheep’s blood agar (shown here), displaying cream colored, smooth, mucoid colonies. c. Wet mount was performed, which exhibited round celled yeast, with narrow budding single daughter cell, consistent with Cryptococcus. d. C. neoformans was confirmed by both biochemical testing and the brown colored colony growth on birdseed agar, as C. neoformans selectively absorbs melanin from this media (top is patient’s sample, and bottom is negative control growing Candida albicans).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical images from a patient with AIDS who presented with cryptococcal fungemia. a. Gram stain from the positive blood culture showed narrow based budding yeast. b. The yeast grew on fungal media (Sabouraud dextrose agar), but also grew on routine media, chocolate agar and sheep’s blood agar (shown here), displaying cream colored, smooth, mucoid colonies. c. Wet mount was performed, which exhibited round celled yeast, with narrow budding single daughter cell, consistent with Cryptococcus. d. C. neoformans was confirmed by both biochemical testing and the brown colored colony growth on birdseed agar, as C. neoformans selectively absorbs melanin from this media (top is patient’s sample, and bottom is negative control growing Candida albicans).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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