tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Neurohospitalist
. 2022 Jan;12(1):96-99.
doi: 10.1177/19418744211009766. Epub 2021 May 3.
Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis During Convalescence From Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia
Dharani Rohit Thota[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bappaditya Ray[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mirza Hasan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kartavya Sharma[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Invasive cryptococcal infection in a previously immunocompetent patient complicating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia has not been described before. In this report, a 76-year-old woman survived a bout of respiratory failure from severe COVID-19 pneumonia, during which she received remdesivir, convalescent plasma, corticosteroids, and tocilizumab. Soon after discharge, she developed acute encephalopathy and multifocal ischemic strokes. CSF and blood cultures were positive for Cryptococcus neoformans. Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of encephalopathy in a patient with COVID-19. Treatment with high-dose steroids and tocilizumab may be predisposing factors.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cryptococcus; central nervous system infections; ischemic stroke; meningoencephalitis; tocilizumab.
. 2022 Jan;12(1):96-99.
doi: 10.1177/19418744211009766. Epub 2021 May 3.
Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis During Convalescence From Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia
Dharani Rohit Thota[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bappaditya Ray[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mirza Hasan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kartavya Sharma[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34950394
- PMCID: PMC8689527 (available on 2023-01-01)
- DOI: 10.1177/19418744211009766
Abstract
Invasive cryptococcal infection in a previously immunocompetent patient complicating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia has not been described before. In this report, a 76-year-old woman survived a bout of respiratory failure from severe COVID-19 pneumonia, during which she received remdesivir, convalescent plasma, corticosteroids, and tocilizumab. Soon after discharge, she developed acute encephalopathy and multifocal ischemic strokes. CSF and blood cultures were positive for Cryptococcus neoformans. Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of encephalopathy in a patient with COVID-19. Treatment with high-dose steroids and tocilizumab may be predisposing factors.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cryptococcus; central nervous system infections; ischemic stroke; meningoencephalitis; tocilizumab.