- Carla Andreola: Department of Ophthalmology, AIDS Section, Centro Previdenciário de Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
PURPOSE: To report an uncommon case of multifocal choroiditis as the result of disseminated Cryptococcus neoformans infection in a patient who is HIV-positive.
DESIGN: Interventional case report.
METHODS: A 27-year-old HIV-positive woman with fever, headache, and vomiting was examined. Lumbar puncture was performed and revealed C neoformans infection. Her condition evolved with sudden bilateral blindness and deafness. Ophthalmologic examination revealed multiple yellowish choroidal lesions in the posterior pole of both eyes.
RESULTS: Postmortem examination showed disseminated C neoformans infection. Histologic examination of the eyes confirmed the presence of C neoformans in the choroiditis.
CONCLUSION: Multifocal choroiditis in C neoformans infection is a rare ophthalmic manifestation. The recognition of this condition by ophthalmologists can help physicians to diagnose a disseminated and fatal disease.