Cutaneous Cryptococcosis Manifested as a Large Cystic Mass: A Rare Manifestation of Cryptococcus Infection.

Zain Amar, Muneeb Rehman, Yasir Ahmed
Author Information
  1. Zain Amar: Infectious Diseases, Ascension St. John Hospital, Tulsa, USA.
  2. Muneeb Rehman: Infectious Diseases, Ascension St. John Hospital, Tulsa, USA.
  3. Yasir Ahmed: Infectious Diseases, Ascension St. John Medical Center, Tulsa, USA.

Abstract

Cryptococcus infection is an invasive fungal infection common in immunocompromised hosts, especially in organ transplant recipients and in patients with HIV. Its presentation varies from localized skin lesions to systemic disseminated infection involving the lungs and the central nervous system (CNS). We present the case of a 50-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM-2), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) status post deceased donor kidney transplantation seven and a half years ago who presented with a low-grade fever, cough, nausea, vomiting, and a large cystic mass on the right foot. A CT scan of the chest showed a 14 mm cavitary lesion in the middle lobe of the right lung. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid cryptococcal antigens were detected. MRI of the right foot showed a large multilocular lobulated septated cystic mass. Histopathology showed cryptococcus; the diagnosis was made as disseminated cryptococcus infection. She was treated with antifungal therapy successfully. A large cutaneous cystic mass is a rare cutaneous presentation of cryptococcus infection; clinicians should keep it in the differential diagnosis, especially in transplant recipient patients.

Keywords

References

  1. Clin Infect Dis. 2010 Feb 1;50(3):291-322 [PMID: 20047480]
  2. J Dermatol. 2024 Feb;51(2):e44-e46 [PMID: 37698044]
  3. Eur J Dermatol. 2012 Sep-Oct;22(5):651-7 [PMID: 23008283]
  4. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2016 Mar;30(1):179-206 [PMID: 26897067]
  5. BMC Nephrol. 2018 Jan 27;19(1):18 [PMID: 29374464]
  6. Lancet Infect Dis. 2024 Feb 9;: [PMID: 38346436]
  7. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2020 Apr;37(2):154-158 [PMID: 32489347]
  8. J Infect Dis. 2007 Mar 1;195(5):756-64 [PMID: 17262720]
  9. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Jul 16;100(28):e26656 [PMID: 34260570]
  10. Med Mycol. 2010 Sep;48(6):785-91 [PMID: 20100136]
  11. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2006 Sep;20(3):507-44, v-vi [PMID: 16984867]
  12. Emerg Infect Dis. 2001 May-Jun;7(3):375-81 [PMID: 11384512]
  13. Clin Transplant. 2019 Sep;33(9):e13543 [PMID: 30900315]
  14. Clin Infect Dis. 2010 Apr 15;50(8):1091-100 [PMID: 20218877]

Word Cloud

Created with Highcharts 10.0.0infectioncryptococcuscysticmassdisseminatedlargerightshowedlesioncryptococcalCryptococcusespeciallytransplantpatientspresentationskinfootcavitarylungdiagnosiscutaneousinvasivefungalcommonimmunocompromisedhostsorganrecipientsHIVvarieslocalizedlesionssystemicinvolvinglungscentralnervoussystemCNSpresentcase50-year-oldwomandiabetesmellitustype2DM-2end-stagerenaldiseaseESRDstatuspostdeceaseddonorkidneytransplantationsevenhalfyearsagopresentedlow-gradefevercoughnauseavomitingCTscanchest14mmmiddlelobeSerumcerebrospinalfluidantigensdetectedMRImultilocularlobulatedseptatedHistopathologymadetreatedantifungaltherapysuccessfullyrareclinicianskeepdifferentialrecipientCutaneousCryptococcosisManifestedLargeCysticMass:RareManifestationInfectionmeningitisneoformans

Similar Articles

Cited By

No available data.