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Case Reports
. 2022 Jul 4;15(7):e248217.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2021-248217.

Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii septic arthritis in an immunocompromised patient on haemodialysis with history of splenectomy and sarcoidosis

Demah Alobaidi #  1 , Abdullahi Elsheikh Mahgoub #  1 , Ghassan Bachuwa #  2 , Danielle Osterholzer #  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii septic arthritis in an immunocompromised patient on haemodialysis with history of splenectomy and sarcoidosis

Demah Alobaidi et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

A male adult in his mid-40s with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis, with history of splenectomy and sarcoidosis, developed septic arthritis of the knee. Excision and drainage was performed and empiric antibiotics were initiated. Cultures were initially negative without clinical improvement. Eventually, the aerobic synovial fluid culture grew Cryptococcus neoformans (formerly Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii). The patient was treated with liposomal amphotericin B and then switched to fluconazole until the infection resolved. This case highlights the less well-recognised association between cryptococcal arthritis and immunodeficiency states like ESRD, splenectomy and sarcoidosis.

Keywords: Bone and joint infections; Cryptococcus; Dialysis; Rheumatology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

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