title: Cryptococcal meningitis following a thrombotic microangiopathy in an unrelated donor bone marrow transplant recipient.
abstract: In patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation cryptococcosis is rarely encountered. We report a fatal case of Cryptococcus meningitis in a 12-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in second remission who had a transplant from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical unrelated bone marrow donor. The conditioning regimen was thiotepa, cyclophosphamide, and total body irradiation (TBI); graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporin A, methotrexate, and antilymphocyte globulin (ALG). The patient experienced stage III GVHD responsive to high-dose corticosteroids. On day +54 a thrombotic microangiopathy occurred. On day +64 neurological status worsened; a brain computed tomographic (CT) scan showed hyperdense lesions suggesting fungal infection. Detection of cryptococcal antigen by latex agglutination was positive but India ink stain and culture were negative. Despite treatment with amphotericin B, 5-flucytosine, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, the patient died 13 days after the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miniero
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nesi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vai
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Intinis
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Papalia
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Targhetta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Busca
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vassallo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giacchino
mesh_terms: D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002648:Child; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000473:pathology; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous