title: Case report: cutaneous manifestations of cryptococcosis.
abstract: Cutaneous cryptococcosis usually is associated with concurrent systemic infection and actually may develop before clinical manifestations of cryptococcal meningitis become apparent. It is rare for a cryptococcal infection to be localized only to the skin. A case of cutaneous cryptococcosis is described in an immunocompromised patient who initially had a rash and a positive serum cryptococcal antigen titer, but no central nervous system involvement. The papular pustular skin lesions disappeared after 8 weeks of therapy with amphotericin B, which was stopped secondary to progressive azotemia. Less than 2 months after therapy, the skin lesions recurred, again without evidence of systemic disease. Treatment with oral fluconazole resulted in a gradual resolution of the cutaneous lesions. The pathogenesis of cryptococcosis is discussed, with emphasis on the management of cutaneous cryptococcosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa.
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Haight
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Esperanza
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sandin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: DeGregorio
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Spiers
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host
chemical_list: D000666:Amphotericin B; D015725:Fluconazole