title: CRYPTOCOCCAL MENINGITIS IN IMMUNOCOMPETENT PATIENT.
abstract: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is life threatening fungal infection of central nervous system (CNS). Although it is commonly associated with immunosuppression but rarely it can occur in immune competent patient. We report a case of 21 year old non HIV infected girl. Based on initial diagnoses of tuberculosis Bacillus meningitis (TBM), she was started on anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT). However failure to respond to treatment prompted a quest for alternative diagnosis. A final Diagnosis of CM was confirmed on latex agglutination antigen detection on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. The patient responded well to antifungal treatment. Initially diagnosis was missed due to common occurrence of tuberculosis infection in Pakistan and resemblance of its symptomatology and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings with CNS cryptoccocal infection.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arif
authors.forename: Khushbakht
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ghazanfar
authors.forename: Waseem Wali
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Muhammad
authors.forename: Hamza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult