Missouriwatcher
Editor, Senior Moderator
July 23, 2010 / 59(28);865-868
Cryptococcus is a genus of fungi, of which two species, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, cause nearly all human and animal cryptococcal infections. Whereas C. neoformans primarily affects persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide, C. gattii primarily affects HIV-uninfected persons in tropical and subtropical regions. In December 2004, a case of human C. gattii infection was reported in Oregon, associated with an outbreak on Vancouver Island and in mainland British Columbia, Canada. A second C. gattii case was reported in Oregon in 2005, and 12 more cases were reported in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, in response to the emergence of C. gattii in the United States, CDC, state and local public health authorities, and the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) formed the Cryptococcus gattii Public Health Working Group...
During January 1, 2004--July 1, 2010, a total of 60 human cases of C. gattii infection were reported to CDC: 43 from Oregon, 15 from Washington, one from California, and one from Idaho. Approximately half (54%) of the patients were male; patients ranged in age from 15 to 95 years, with the highest proportion of patients (45%) aged 50--69 years...The most common clinical finding was pneumonia, occurring among 57% of patients.
Among the 45 patients for whom outcome was known, nine (20%) died because of C. gattii infection and six (13%) died with C. gattii infection; two of the nine who died from C. gattii infection had no predisposing condition. In addition to human cases, 52 veterinary cases (among cats, dogs, ferrets, sheep, camelids, elk, horses, goats, and porpoises) were reported to CDC from California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5928a1.htm?s_cid=mm5928a1_e
Cryptococcus is a genus of fungi, of which two species, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, cause nearly all human and animal cryptococcal infections. Whereas C. neoformans primarily affects persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide, C. gattii primarily affects HIV-uninfected persons in tropical and subtropical regions. In December 2004, a case of human C. gattii infection was reported in Oregon, associated with an outbreak on Vancouver Island and in mainland British Columbia, Canada. A second C. gattii case was reported in Oregon in 2005, and 12 more cases were reported in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, in response to the emergence of C. gattii in the United States, CDC, state and local public health authorities, and the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) formed the Cryptococcus gattii Public Health Working Group...
During January 1, 2004--July 1, 2010, a total of 60 human cases of C. gattii infection were reported to CDC: 43 from Oregon, 15 from Washington, one from California, and one from Idaho. Approximately half (54%) of the patients were male; patients ranged in age from 15 to 95 years, with the highest proportion of patients (45%) aged 50--69 years...The most common clinical finding was pneumonia, occurring among 57% of patients.
Among the 45 patients for whom outcome was known, nine (20%) died because of C. gattii infection and six (13%) died with C. gattii infection; two of the nine who died from C. gattii infection had no predisposing condition. In addition to human cases, 52 veterinary cases (among cats, dogs, ferrets, sheep, camelids, elk, horses, goats, and porpoises) were reported to CDC from California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5928a1.htm?s_cid=mm5928a1_e
