Cryptococcal Meningitis

This is part of a series on Opportunistic Infections ("OIs"). Please note that --

This Page Is Just A Starting Point: ÆGIS is a great place for you to find overview information about HIV and opportunistic infections, but it is not a substitute for getting medical advice from a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Finding The Latest Information: Advances in treating opportunistic infections can happen at any time, so the material on this page may be outdated. Some links in the see also section at the bottom of this page are actually special database links. They may contain information published after this page was written.

Classification

a yeast-like fungus infection

Description

The fungus -- Cryptococcus neoformans -- is a yeast-like fungus found in soil around the world. It is most common in soil contaminated by bird droppings.
The disease usually involves the brain and lungs. Advance stages of the disease can involve almost any organ.

Danger Zone

CD4+ cells less than 50/mm.

NOTE:

If you are undergoing treatment that has increased your CD4+ levels, see the important note on Naive T-Cells. There is some evidence that you should use the lowest CD4+ level you ever had when considering your risk for some opportunistic infections.

Prevention

The US CDC recommends (1995) considering fluconazole for those with CD4+ counts less than 50/mm. Sometimes this preventative treatment isn't indicated because --
1. Cryptococcal Meningitis is fairly rare.
2. Treatment is expensive.
3. Preventative treatment can result is drug-resistant Cryptococcal Meningitis.
4. Treatment drugs interact with other important treatments.

Treatment