title: Think fungus NOT just a crypto-meningitis in AIDS!
abstract: Extrapulmonary cryptococcosis has been defined as AIDS defining illness in HIV infected people. Cryptococcal meningitis is the commonest meningitis with advanced immune deficiency. Therefore clinicians ask for tests only for detection of cryptococci which may be misleading. A prospective study of suspected fungal meningitis with CSF fungal culture is carried out.
  
  
  METHODS
  70 ART naive cases of suspected fungal meningitis in HIV cases were subjected to CSF cytochemistry, smear exam and CSF fungal culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CSF culture was positive in 75.6% cases of these 21 were C. Neoformans as against 28 of Rhodotorula. In addition candida, aspergillus, geotrichum, trichosporon were isolated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apart from c. neoformans, other fungi also cause meningitis. Each case of suspected fungal meningitis, may be subjected for CSF fungal culture for proper and adequate management. If facility for fungal culture is not available and if CSF smear shows evidence of fungal infection then standard therapy with Amphotericin may be instituted earlier to reduce mortality. This is the largest series isolating Rhodotorula from CSF in AIDS patients.
authors.affiliation: HIV Medicine, Sir JJ Hospital, Mumbai.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Badiye
authors.forename: Mrinal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Patnaik
authors.forename: Alaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rajendran
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Chandrashekara
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D000328:Adult; D001230:Aspergillus; D002176:Candida albicans; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005848:Geotrichum; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016921:Meningitis, Fungal / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012248:Rhodotorula; D014250:Trichosporon; D055815:Young Adult