title: [Cryptococosis: clinical epidemiological laboratorial study and fungi varieties in 96 patients].
abstract: Ninety-six patients with cryptococcosis confirmed by clinical and laboratorial diagnosis were assessed in a prospective study in a University Hospital from March 1998 to November 2003; of these, 81.3% were HIV seropositive patients. Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from different samples, of which the cerebrospinal fluid 74 (77%) was the most frequent. C. neoformans var neoformans was isolated in 89 cases, where as C. neoformans var gattii was isolated in 7. Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis was detected in 56.3% cases. It was the most frequent unique clinical manifestation and the fungus was detected in the bloodstream in 13.5% of the patients. Among the risk factors, AIDS (81.3%) was the most frequently associated with mycosis. Direct examination carried out on 121 samples revealed the microorganism in 98.3% of them, while the culture was positive for all samples. Most of the patients (59.4%) were treated with amphotericin B or with triazoles, however 72.9% of them ended in death, in particular those patients with positive tests for the HIV (62.5%). Nowadays, cryptococcosis has been frequently diagnosed in our region and represents one of the opportunistic diseases with the highest morbidity and mortality rates in patients with AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-064 Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tomaz de Aquino
authors.initials: Tde A
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Marcelo Simão
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Rosineide Marques
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ribas
authors.forename: Aércio Sebastião
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Borges
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents