Abstract
Cryptococcosis is a major opportunistic mycosis which has meningitis as its most frequent clinical presentation and can be fatal in the absence of antifungal therapy. The aetiological agents are Cryptococcus neoformans, which affects mainly immunocompromised subjects, and C. gattii, the aetiologic agent for cryptococcosis in healthy individuals. A recent outbreak of cryptococcosis on Vancouver Island, Canada, raised the level of concern about the epidemiology of this disease. In Brazil, between 1980 and 2002, six per cent of AIDS patients had cryptococcosis in course at the time of diagnosis. To identify the profile of cryptococcal meningitis patients in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, a retroactive study was realized using data from patients registered at Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública IPB-LACEN/RS from 2000 to 2005. Most of the patients were men (77.12%), Caucasian (83.5%), median age between thirty and thirty-nine years old (46.24%) and HIV positive (95%).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Idnurm A, Bahn YS, Nielsen K, Lin X, Fraser JA, Heitman J. Deciphering the model pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2005;3:753–64.
Kwon-Chung KJ, Boekhout T, Fell JW, Diaz M. Proposal to conserve the name Cryptococcus gatti against C. hondurianus and C. bacillisporus. Taxon. 2002;51:804–6.
Kidd SE, Bach PJ, Hingston AO, Mak S, Chow Y, MacDougall L, Kronstad JW, Bartlett KH. Cryptococcus gattii dispersal mechanisms, British Columbia, Canada. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13:51–7.
MacDougall L, Fyfe M. Emergence of Cryptococcus gattii in a novel environment provides clues to its incubation period. J Clin Microbiol. 2006;44:1851–2.
Kidd SE, Hagen F, Tscharke RL, Huynh M, Bartlett KH, Fyfe M, MacDougall L, Boekhout T, Kwon-Chung KJ, Meyer W. A rare genotype of Cryptococcus gattii caused the cryptococcosis outbreak on Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2004;101:17258–63.
Stephen C, Lester S, Black W, Fyfe M, Raverty S. Multispecies outbreak of cryptococcosis on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Can Vet J. 2002;43:792–4.
Ministério da Saúde do Brasil. Dados e pesquisa em DSTs e Aids. Coordenação do programa nacional de DST/Aids. Brasília, DF; 2002.
Casali AK, Goulart L, Rosa e Silva LK, Ribeiro AM, Amaral AA, Alves SH, Schrank A, Meyer W, Vainstein MH. Molecular typing of clinical na environmental Cryptococcus neoformans in the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul. FEMS Yeast Res. 2003;3:405–15.
Horta JA, Staats CC, Casali AK, Ribeiro AM, Schrank IS, Shrank A, Vainstein MH. Epidemiological aspects of clinical and environmental Cryptococcus neoformans isolates in the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul. Med Mycol. 2002;40:565–71.
Abegg MA, Cella FL, Faganello J, Valente P, Schrank A, Vainstein MH. Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii isolated from the excreta os Psittaciformes in a Southern Brazilian Zoological Garden. Mycopathologia. 2006;161:83–91.
Casadevall A, Perfect JR. Cryptococcus neoformans. Washington: ASM Press; 1998.
Dromer F, Mathoulin-Pèlissier S, Fontanet A, Ronin O, Dupont B, Lortholary O, French Cryptococcosis Study Group. Epidemiology of HIV-associated cryptococcosis in France (1985–2001): comparison of the pre- and post-HAART eras. AIDS. 2004;18:555–62.
Meyer W, Castañeda A, Jackson S, Huynh M, Catañeda E, IberoAmerican Cryptococcal Study Group. Molecular typing of IberoAmerican Cryptococcus neoformans isolates. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9:189–95.
Aristizabal BH, Clemons KV, Stevens DA, Restrepo A. Morphological transition of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis conidia to yeast cells: in vivo inhibition in females. Infect Immun. 1998;66:5587–91.
Borges-Walmsley MI, Chen D, Shu X, Walmsley AR. The pathobiology of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Trends Microbiol. 2002;10:80–7.
Lortholary O, Improvisi L, Fitting C, Cavaillon M, Dromer F. Influence of gender and age on course of infection and cytokine responses in mice with disseminated Cryptococcus neoformans infection. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2002;8:31–7.
Tintelnot K, Lemmer K, Losert H, Schär G, Polak A. Follow-up of epidemiological data of cryptococcosis in Austria, Germany and Switzerland with special focus on the characterization of clinical isolates. Mycoses. 2004;47:455–64.
Millogo A, Ki-Zerbo GA, Andonaba JB, Lankoandé D, Sawadogo A, Yameógo I, Sawadogo AB. Cryptococcal meningitis in HIV-infected patients at Bobo-Dioulasso hospital (Burkina Faso). Bull Soc Pathol Exot. 2004;97:119–21.
Jenney A, Pandithage K, Fisher DA, Currie BJ. Cryptococcus infection in Tropical Australia. J Clin Microbiol. 2004;42:3865–68.
Chen S, Sorrell T, Nimmo G, Speed B, Currie B, Ellis D, Marriott D, Pfeiffer T, Parr D, Byth K. Epidemiology and host- and variety-dependent characteristics of Infection due to Cryptococcus neoformans in Australia and New Zealand. Clin Infect Dis. 2000;31:499–508.
Friedman GD, Jeffrey Fessel W, Udalsova NV, Hurley LB. Cryptococcosis: the 1981–2000 epidemic. Mycoses. 2005;48:122–5.
El-Serag HB, Anand B, Richardson P, Rabeneck L. Association between hepatitis C infection and other infectious diseases: a case for targeted screening? Am J Gastroenterol. 2003;98:167-74.
Awasthi M, Patankar T, Shah P, Castillo M. Cerebral cryptococcosis: atypical appearances on CT. Br J Radiol. 2001;74:83–5.
Kiertiburanakul S, Wirojtananugoon S, Pracharktam R, Sungkanuparph S. Cryptococcosis in human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients. Int J Infect Dis. 2006;10:72–8.
Hajjeh RA, Conn LA, Stephens DS, Baughman W, Hamill R, Graviss E, Pappas PG, Thomas C, Reingold A, Rothrock G, Hutwagner LC, Schuchat A, Brandt ME, Pinner RW. Cryptococcosis: population-based multistate active surveillance and risk factors in human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons. J Infect Dis 1999;179:449–54.
Mirza SA, Phelan M, Rimland D, Graviss E, Hamill R, Brandt ME, Gardner T, Sattah M, de Leon GP, Baughman W, Hajjeh RA. The changing epidemiology of Cryptococcosis: an update from population-based active surveillance in 2 large metropolitan areas, 1992–2000. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36:789–94.
Darzé C, Lucena R, Gomes I, Melo A. The clinical laboratory characteristics of 104 cases of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2000;33:21–6.
Severo LC, Oliveira FM, Londero AT. Cryptococcosis due to Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii in Brazilian patients with AIDS. Report of three cases. Rev Iberoam Micol. 1999;16:152–4.
Lopes JO, Costa JM, Streher LA, Clock C, Pinto MS, Alves SH. Cryptococcosis not related to AIDS in Rio Grande do Sul: a report of 8 cases and a review of the literature. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 1997;30:369–72.
Fontana MH, Coutinho MF, Camargo ES, Soviero B, Lima SS, Matusiak R, Dias CG. Neurocryptococcosis in childhood. Report of 3 cases in the 1st decade of life. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 1987;45:403–11.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação Estadual de Produção e Pesquisa em Saúde (FEPPS) and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leal, A.L., Faganello, J., Fuentefria, A.M. et al. Epidemiological Profile of Cryptococcal Meningitis Patients in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Mycopathologia 166, 71–75 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-008-9123-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-008-9123-2