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Review
. 2024 Mar 4;16(3):e55498.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.55498. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Cryptococcosis and Cryptococcal Meningitis: A Narrative Review and the Up-to-Date Management Approach

Zaheer A Qureshi  1 , Haider Ghazanfar  2 , Faryal Altaf  2 , Ali Ghazanfar  3 , Khushbu Z Hasan  4 , Sameer Kandhi  5 , Ked Fortuzi  2 , Arundhati Dileep  6 , Shitij Shrivastava  2   7
Affiliations
Review

Cryptococcosis and Cryptococcal Meningitis: A Narrative Review and the Up-to-Date Management Approach

Zaheer A Qureshi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Cryptococcosis is a fungal infectious disease that enormously impacts human health worldwide. Cryptococcal meningitis is the most severe disease caused by the fungus Cryptococcus, and can lead to death, if left untreated. Many patients develop resistance and progress to death even after treatment. It requires a prolonged treatment course in people with AIDS. This narrative review provides an evidence-based summary of the current treatment modalities and future trial options, including newer ones, namely, 18B7, T-2307, VT-1598, AR12, manogepix, and miltefosine. This review also evaluated the management and empiric treatment of cryptococcus meningitis. The disease can easily evade diagnosis with subacute presentation. Despite the severity of the disease, treatment options for cryptococcosis remain limited, and more research is needed.

Keywords: amphotericin; antifungal therapy; antiretroviral therapy; cryptococcosis; encephalitis; fluconazole; hiv; immunosuppression; meningitis; preventive and social medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Involvement of various organs in a cryptococcal infection
Image created using Biorender.com.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Mechanism of action of antifungal drugs
Image created using Biorender.com.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Mechanism of action of amphotericin B
Image created using Biorender.com.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Latest treatment algorithm for cryptococcal meningitis
Image created using Biorender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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