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Definition Cryptococosis is a fungus infection. It is cause due to the fungus name is Cryptococcus neoformans. This fungus is ordinarily found in soil. It is the cause of the most common life-threatening meningitis in AIDS. Early in the epidemic, approximately 5-8% of patients with AIDS developed cryptococcal infection. Cryptococcosis mainly occurs in the tissues covering the brain, spinal cord in the lungs, and on the skin. Causes The airborne fungus Cryptococcus neoformans causes cryptococcosis. It's found in dust particles contaminated by pigeon stool. Once the cryptococcal fungus reaches the lungs, three things can happen :- 1)The immune system can heal the body without medical intervention 2) the disease can stay localized in the lungs and 3) It can spread throughout the body. If the body does not heal itself, the fungus begins to grow in the lungs and form nodules that can be seen on chest x rays. The onset of neurological symptoms is gradual. The majority of people with this condition have swelling and irritation of the brain and spinal cord at the time of diagnosis. Cryptococcus is one of the most common life-threatening fungal infections in AIDS patients. Symptoms These diseases firstly can not show there symptoms. When the Cryptococcus organisms enter the bloodstream and spread elsewhere in the body, other symptoms can occur. The common symptoms that are mostly seen in Cryptococosis patient are :- Fever Cough Chest pain Spitting of blood from the respiratory tract Headache Stiff neck Visual disturbances. Nausea Vomiting Unwanted weight loss, and Fatigue Cryptococcus can also cause skin lesions that may resemble Molluscum contagiosum: small, defined, white bumps with a dimple in the centre.In people with normal immune systems, the pulmonary (lung) form may have no symptoms. However, in people with impaired immune systems, the cryptococcus organism may spread to the brain. Treatment Physicians who regularly work with AIDS patients have the most experience in diagnosing cryptococcosis. The preferred methods of diagnosis use simple and very accurate blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests that detect the presence of an antigen produced by the fungus. These tests can also be used to check whether maintenance therapy is successfully suppressing the organisms. Another important goal of therapy is to treat AIDS-related cancers and opportunistic infections that develop. Generally, if a patient develops a severe opportunistic infection, treatment for the infection takes priority over antiretroviral therapy, especially if the antibiotic interacts with the antiretroviral medication. Some of the medications may be:- Amphotericin B Flucytosine Fluconazole
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