Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United States

Cryptococcal infections are seen throughout the United States in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. The most common form is C. neoformans. In the Northwestern United States, C. gattii has received considerable attention secondary to increased virulence resulting in significant morb...

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Main Authors: John W. Amburgy, Joseph H. Miller, Benjamin J. Ditty, Patrick Vande Lune, Shaaf Muhammad, Winfield S. Fisher
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8280915
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author John W. Amburgy
Joseph H. Miller
Benjamin J. Ditty
Patrick Vande Lune
Shaaf Muhammad
Winfield S. Fisher
author_facet John W. Amburgy
Joseph H. Miller
Benjamin J. Ditty
Patrick Vande Lune
Shaaf Muhammad
Winfield S. Fisher
author_sort John W. Amburgy
collection DOAJ
description Cryptococcal infections are seen throughout the United States in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. The most common form is C. neoformans. In the Northwestern United States, C. gattii has received considerable attention secondary to increased virulence resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. There are no cases in the extant literature describing a patient with C. gattii requiring neurosurgical intervention in Alabama. A middle-aged immunocompetent male with no recent travel or identifiable exposure presented with meningitis secondary to C. gattii. The patient underwent 12 lumbar punctures and a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and required 83 days of inpatient therapy with 5-flucytosine and amphotericin B. The patient was found to have multiple intracranial lesions and a large intramedullary spinal cryptococcoma within his conus. Following an almost 3-month hospitalization the patient required treatment with oral voriconazole for one year. In the United States meningitis caused by C. gattii infection is not isolated to the Northwestern region.
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spelling doaj-art-dbce62442f0444dbb414dfdd3319b4302025-08-20T03:24:21ZengWileyCase Reports in Infectious Diseases2090-66252090-66332016-01-01201610.1155/2016/82809158280915Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United StatesJohn W. Amburgy0Joseph H. Miller1Benjamin J. Ditty2Patrick Vande Lune3Shaaf Muhammad4Winfield S. Fisher5Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USADepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USADepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USASchool of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USADepartment of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, AL, USADepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USACryptococcal infections are seen throughout the United States in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. The most common form is C. neoformans. In the Northwestern United States, C. gattii has received considerable attention secondary to increased virulence resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. There are no cases in the extant literature describing a patient with C. gattii requiring neurosurgical intervention in Alabama. A middle-aged immunocompetent male with no recent travel or identifiable exposure presented with meningitis secondary to C. gattii. The patient underwent 12 lumbar punctures and a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and required 83 days of inpatient therapy with 5-flucytosine and amphotericin B. The patient was found to have multiple intracranial lesions and a large intramedullary spinal cryptococcoma within his conus. Following an almost 3-month hospitalization the patient required treatment with oral voriconazole for one year. In the United States meningitis caused by C. gattii infection is not isolated to the Northwestern region.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8280915
spellingShingle John W. Amburgy
Joseph H. Miller
Benjamin J. Ditty
Patrick Vande Lune
Shaaf Muhammad
Winfield S. Fisher
Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United States
Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
title Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United States
title_full Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United States
title_fullStr Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United States
title_full_unstemmed Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United States
title_short Cryptococcus gattii in an Immunocompetent Patient in the Southeastern United States
title_sort cryptococcus gattii in an immunocompetent patient in the southeastern united states
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8280915
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