Cryptococcal meningitis

Cryptococcal meningitis is a severe, life-threatening fungal infection of the leptomeninges and central nervous system primarily caused by the encapsulated yeasts *Cryptococcus neoformans* and *Cryptococcus gattii* It typically manifests as a subacute meningoencephalitis marked by insidious headache, fever, altered mental status, and complications related to markedly elevated intracranial pressure

Cryptococcal meningitis is a severe, life-threatening fungal infection of the leptomeninges and central nervous system primarily caused by the encapsulated yeasts *Cryptococcus neoformans* and *Cryptococcus gattii*

It predominantly affects immunocompromised individuals—most notably those with advanced HIV disease, hematologic malignancies, or pharmacologic immunosuppression—though it can also arise in immunocompetent hosts Pathophysiologically, the organism enters via the respiratory tract and disseminates hematogenously across the blood-brain barrier It typically manifests as a subacute meningoencephalitis marked by insidious headache, fever, altered mental status, and complications related to markedly el...

It predominantly affects immunocompromised individuals—most notably those with advanced HIV disease, hematologic malignancies, or pharmacologic immunosuppression—though it can also arise in immunocompetent hosts Pathophysiologically, the organism enters via the respiratory tract and disseminates hematogenously across the blood-brain barrier