title: Cryptococcus gattii fungemia: report of a case with lung and brain lesions mimicking radiological features of malignancy.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Pneumologia - Mestrado e Doutorado, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
authors.forename: Flávio de Mattos
authors.initials: Fde M
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Cecília Bittencourt
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Severo
authors.forename: Luciana Silva
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Guazzelli
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Severo
mesh_terms: 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