title: Idiopathic Cd4+T-lymphocytopenia--two unusual patients with cryptococcal meningitis.
abstract: Idiopathic CD4+T-lymphocytopenia (ICL) is a syndrome characterised by the depletion in the CD4+T-cells but without evidence of HIV infection. Aside from low CD4+lymphocyte counts, the immunologic findings in these patients are distinct from the abnormalities found in HIV infection. There are numerous reports of ICL associated with different diseases and clinical conditions. Opportunistic infections, mostly seen in HIV patients are the most common among them. We describe two patients without risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, each of whom presented with cryptococcal meningitis and was found to have idiopathic CD4+T-lymphocytopenia. One of them also acquired EBV and CMV coinfection of the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroinfections and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases Dr Fran Mihaljević Mirogojska 8, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia. lepurix@inet.hr
authors.forename: Dragan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lepur
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vranjican
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barsić
authors.forename: Josip
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Himbele
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Klinar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D018344:T-Lymphocytopenia, Idiopathic CD4-Positive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome