Cryptococcus gattii fungemia: report of a case with lung and brain lesions mimicking radiological features of malignancy.
A 64-year-old apparently immunocompetent white man developed lung and brain lesions of disseminated cryptococcosis. The radiologic features mimicked those of lung cancer metastatic to the central nervous system. C. gattii was recovered from cultures of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, brain biopsy, and blood. The same fungus was recovered from pulmonary and brain specimens at autopsy. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid cryptococcal antigen tests were diagnostic in our case and should be included in the diagnostic evaluation of unexplained pulmonary and cerebral lesions. A literature search showed few reports of fungemia by this species of Cryptococcus, contrasting to C. neoformans.
Oliveira
Flávio de Mattos
Fde M
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Pneumologia - Mestrado e Doutorado, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
Severo
Cecília Bittencourt
CB
Guazzelli
Luciana Silva
LS
Severo
Luiz Carlos
LC
D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology*; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology*; D003454:Cryptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D016469:Fungemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009423:Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed