Cryptococcal meningitis presenting as simple headache in early adulthood HIV-infected patient: A case report

Abstract

Cryptococcal meningitis is a rare disease caused by Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gatii as the fungal pathogen in humans. The disease is highly prevalent in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and is the major cause of mortality in an immunocompromised individual. This life-threatening disease does not often occur with specific signs and symptoms. We reported a case of an early adulthood HIV-infected patient with a mild headache and low-grade fever. There was no altered mental status or other significant specific manifestations. Blood examination, chest radiography, and computed tomography scan revealed no significant results. C. neoformans were isolated from a culture of the cerebrospinal fluid specimen as the conventional gold standard examination for cryptococcal meningitis. A positive result was confirmed in the India ink staining preparation. The patient was treated with fluconazole monotherapy for the induction and consolidation phase and showed a positive disease progression during observations.

Keywords

• cryptococcal meningitis
• human immunodeficiency virus
• headache
• fluconazole