Cryptococcosis

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Cryptococcosis on the forehead

Cryptococcus, cutaneous on the hand

• Blurred vision or double vision (diplopia)
• Bone pain or tenderness of the breastbone (sternum)
• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Cough -- dry
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Nausea
• Skin rash, including pinpoint red spots (petechiae), ulcers, or other skin lesions
• Sweating -- unusual, excessive at night
• Swollen glands
• Unintentional weight loss

Note: People with a normal immune system may have no symptoms at all.

Physical examination may reveal:

• Abnormal breath sounds
• Fast heart rate
• Fever
• Mental status changes
• Stiff neck

Tests that may be done include:

• Blood culture
• CT scan of the head
• Sputum culture and stain
• Lung biopsy
• Bronchoscopy
• Spinal tap to obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and other tests to check for signs of infection
• Chest x-ray
• Cryptococcal antigen test (looks for a certain molecule that the Cryptococcus fungus can shed into the blood)

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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