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Cureus 2020 May 23;12(5):e8254. Epub 2020 May 23.

Infectious Disease, Luigi Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, ITA.

We report the case of a 61-year-old patient with a history of prostate cancer affected by bone metastasis. He presented to our attention for ulcerous and necrotic cutaneous lesions unresponsive to antibiotics. The spread of cutaneous lesions and the onset of neurological symptoms suggested a cryptococcal disease, which was confirmed by lumbar puncture and cutaneous biopsy. Read More

IDCases 2020 15;21:e00810. Epub 2020 May 15.

Infectious Disease Department, University of Missouri Hospital and Clinic, 1 Hospital Dr, Columbia, MO 65212, USA.

is an encapsulated heterobasidiomycetous fungus responsible for opportunistic infections worldwide in immunocompromised patients. Clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic respiratory tract colonization to disseminated infection in any human body part. The central nervous system (CNS) and pulmonary diseases garner most of the clinical attention. Read More

Postepy Dermatol Alergol 2020 Apr 5;37(2):154-158. Epub 2020 May 5.

Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.

Due to constantly growing population of immunocompromised patients the fungi became a widespread threat to modern medicine. HIV carriers, solid organ transplant recipients constitute most of those patients. Cryptococcosis is a frequent cause of life-threatening infections, affecting mostly immunosuppressed patients. Read More

JAAD Case Rep 2020 May 29;6(5):388-389. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.

Pol Merkur Lekarski 2020 Apr;48(284):108-111

Medical University of Warsaw, Poland: Department of Transplantation Medicine, Nephrology and Internal Medicine.

Solid organ transplant recipients are specific group due to taken immunosuppressive agents. This can result in side effects including infections caused by rare opportunistic pathogens.

A Case Report: A 64-year old woman after orthotopic liver transplantation due to primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune hepatitis was admitted to hospital because of several infections. Read More

Med Mycol Case Rep 2020 Jun 31;28:33-35. Epub 2020 Mar 31.

Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Centre of Dermatovenereology, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Immunosuppression after solid-organ transplantation can lead to opportunistic infections as cryptococcosis. A 69-year-old female, cadaveric renal-transplant recipient, manifested with ulcerative lesions on the 7th month of immunosuppression. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cryptococcosis. Read More

JFMS Open Rep 2020 Jan-Jun;6(1):2055116920912560. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Small Animal Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.

Case Summary: An 11-year-old spayed female cat presented with a 6-month history of a progressive nodular skin disease with concurrent, ocular lesions, intermittent vomiting, halitosis and weight loss. The cat had received different topical treatments without success prior to referral to the Dermatology Department of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University. Several fine-needle aspirations of the lesions showed a vast number of macrophages with intra-cytoplasmic inclusions compatible with species. Read More

J Dermatol 2020 May 24;47(5):551-553. Epub 2020 Feb 24.

Department of Chemotherapy and Mycoses, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku, Japan.

Cutaneous cryptococcosis is classified as localized cutaneous cryptococcosis and cutaneous manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis. The former presents as lesions, confined to isolated parts of the skin, which are neither systemically disseminated nor associated with cryptococcal fungemia or antigenemia. The latter presents as lesions through dissemination of Cryptococcus from visceral organs such as the lungs, with most cases being immunosuppressed hosts. Read More

Harefuah 2020 Jan;159(1):14-17

Department of Dermatology, Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel.

Introduction: Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungus which causes severe morbidity and mortality among immune-compromised patients. Cutaneous manifestations of systemic cryptococcosis are rare and may include a papulo-nodular rash, ulcers, cellulitis, molluscum contagiosum-like papules and more. The Tzanck smear is a well-known simple diagnostic test which can be performed bedside, in order to characterize cell cytology. Read More

An Bras Dermatol 2019 Nov - Dec;94(6):744-746. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Department of Dermatology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address:

This report describes a case of unusual deep skin ulcers with tortuous sinus tract formation in an immunocompetent woman. She was initially diagnosed with a Staphylococcus aureus skin infection and histopathologically diagnosed with pyoderma gangrenosum. However, culture from the deep end of ribbon gauze inserted into the subcutaneous sinus tract revealed shiny, light-yellow mucoid colonies, which were identified as Cryptococcus neoformans var. Read More

Med Mycol J 2019 ;60(4):101-107

Department of Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Kumamoto University.

Cutaneous cryptococcosis is classified either as primary or secondary based on the route of infection. The disease can also be classified either as localized cutaneous cryptococcosis or cutaneous manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis. However, from a physician's point of view, whether lesions are localized to the skin or are disseminated/systemic is more important than the route of infection. Read More

Lancet Infect Dis 2019 10;19(10):1148

Department of Infectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore; Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore. Electronic address:

JAAD Case Rep 2019 May 7;5(5):433-435. Epub 2019 May 7.

Department of Dermatology, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

J Infect Chemother 2019 May 21;25(5):379-384. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

Department of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Aichi Medical University Hospital, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan; Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Aichi Medical University Hospital, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan. Electronic address:

A 76-year-old Japanese woman was admitted due to uncontrolled cellulitis of the right lower leg. She had deep vein thrombosis on the right limb. Moreover, she had a long history of rheumatoid arthritis treated with corticosteroids. Read More

Pediatr Int 2019 Feb 11;61(2):198-199. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, St Joseph's Children's Hospital, Paterson, New Jersey, USA.

Mycopathologia 2019 Apr 1;184(2):341-343. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Hiroshima University Hospital, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.

An 82-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a deep skin ulcer in her right lower limb. Although the skin biopsy showed necrosis and neutrophil infiltration, we could not initially detect any pathogen. Chest radiography showed multiple nodules despite the lack of respiratory symptoms or fever, and the serum latex agglutination test for cryptococcus showed an elevated titer (1:512). Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2018 Dec 3;11(1). Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Bracknell, UK.

is an encapsulated yeast which causes opportunistic infection in the context of immunosuppression, including advanced HIV infection. Cryptococcal infection is systemic and can result in a fatal meningoencephalitis. Cutaneous lesions occur in 15% of those with systemic cryptococcosis and may be the first indicator of infection. Read More

Cutis 2018 Nov;102(5):E30-E31

Department of Dermatology, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington, USA.

J Cutan Pathol 2019 Feb 27;46(2):143-147. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, New York, New York.

Cutaneous vasculitis has many underlying causes, and the clinical and histological findings often overlap. Inflammatory vasculitis can mimic infection; however, distinction is critical for the timely institution of appropriate therapy. We present two patients who had generalized polymorphous eruptions whose cutaneous pathology showed vasculitis with unusual haloed yeast-like cells within the inflammatory infiltrate, mimicking Cryptococcus. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2018 Jun 28. Epub 2018 Jun 28.

From the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota 55905, USA.

Cryptococcal infection has been documented in 2.8% of solid-organ transplant recipients, with the median time to disease onset being 21 months. Renal transplant recipients account for the majority of cases. Read More

IDCases 2018 21;12:142-148. Epub 2018 May 21.

Infectious Diseases Unit, Sanz Medical Center, Laniado Hospital, Netanya, Israel.

We present a case of a 74 years old male with cutaneous cryptococcosis of the right forearm. var was cultivated from the skin and from the bloodstream. He was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis) 21 months prior to admission, which was steroid-dependent. Read More

Med Clin (Barc) 2019 01 4;152(1):e5. Epub 2018 May 4.

Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, España.

Dermatol Online J 2018 Feb 15;24(2). Epub 2018 Feb 15.

Department of Medicine, Dermatology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, California.

Cutaneous cryptococcosis is usually secondary to the hematogenous dissemination of pulmonary or meningeal Cryptococcus neoformans. Primary cutaneous cryptococcosis (PCC) is a rare form of the infection, typically caused by direct inoculation from trauma to the skin [1]. Most cases of PCC present as a localized cellulitis, abscess, nodule, or ulceration. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 7;9:170. Epub 2018 Feb 7.

Allergy and Clinical Immunology Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, WV, United States.

Fungal bioaerosols are ubiquitous in the environment and human exposure can result in a variety of health effects ranging from systemic, subcutaneous, and cutaneous infections to respiratory morbidity including allergy, asthma, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Recent research has focused on the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) following fungal exposure and is overlooked, yet important, group of regulators capable of influencing fungal immune responses through a variety of cellular mechanisms. These small non-coding ribose nucleic acids function to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and have been shown to participate in multiple disease pathways including cancer, heart disease, apoptosis, as well as immune responses to microbial hazards and occupational allergens. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2018 1;13:695-703. Epub 2018 Feb 1.

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged.

Background: Epidemiologic observations indicate that the number of systemic fungal infections has increased significantly during the past decades, however in human mycosis, mainly cutaneous infections predominate, generating major public health concerns and providing much of the impetus for current attempts to develop novel and efficient agents against cutaneous mycosis causing species. Innovative, environmentally benign and economic nanotechnology-based approaches have recently emerged utilizing principally biological sources to produce nano-sized structures with unique antimicrobial properties. In line with this, our aim was to generate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by biological synthesis and to study the effect of the obtained nanoparticles on cutaneous mycosis causing fungi and on human keratinocytes. Read More

BMC Nephrol 2018 01 27;19(1):18. Epub 2018 Jan 27.

Department of Medicine, Mackay Base Hospital, Bridge Road, Mackay, Australia.

Background: Cellulitis is an unusual presentation of disseminated cryptococcosis, a serious infection seen predominantly in immunocompromised hosts. Disseminated cryptococcosis carries significant morbidity for transplant recipients, especially of the pulmonary and central nervous systems, and carries a high mortality risk.

Case Presentation: We report a 59-year-old renal transplant recipient who presented with bilateral lower leg cellulitis without other symptoms or signs. Read More

Curr Med Mycol 2017 Jun;3(2):33-37

Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background And Purpose: (formerly ) is a non-neoformans cryptococcal species rarely isolated as a human pathogen.

Case Report: Herein, we present the case of a 26-year-old Iranian man with a superficial cutaneous lesion in the axilla. The initial treatment for pityriasis versicolor by clotrimazole was unsuccessful. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2018 Jan;98(1):3-4

Dermatologist, Hospital Regional da Asa Norte (HRAN/SES), Brasília, Brazil.

Front Microbiol 2017 7;8:2419. Epub 2017 Dec 7.

Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora - Campus Governador Valadares, Governador Valadares, Brazil.

Eugenol is a phenolic compound and the main constituent of the essential oil of clove India. Although there are reports of some pharmacological effects of eugenol, this study is the first that proposes to evaluate the antifungal effects of this phenol against both and cells. The effect of eugenol against yeast cells was analyzed for drug susceptibility, alterations in cell diameter, capsule properties, amounts of ergosterol, oxidative burst, and thermodynamics data. Read More

An Bras Dermatol 2017 ;92(5 Suppl 1):69-72

Department of Pathology, Escola Paulista de Medicina - Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM-UNIFESP) - São Paulo (SP), Brazil.

Cryptococcosis is a common fungal infection in immunocompromised patients, caused by genus Cryptococcus, presenting with meningitis, pneumonia, and skin lesions. Cutaneous presentation can be varied, but specifically in solid organ transplant recipients (iatrogenically immunocompromised), cryptococcosis should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of cellulitis-like lesions, since the delay in diagnosis leads to worse prognosis and fatal outcome. We report four cases of cryptococcosis with cutaneous manifestation not only for its rarity, but also to emphasize the important role of the dermatologist in the diagnosis of this disease. Read More

Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 2018 Feb;54(1):185-212

Division of Gastroenterology and Center for Autoimmune Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.

Organ transplant recipients (OTRs) are a population at high risk for cutaneous adverse events. Their early recognition and appropriate treatment is an important component of the clinical management of OTRs and should be optimally dealt with by dermatologists working in the context of a transplant dermatology clinic. Skin examination should be a standard procedure before performing organ transplantation to assess conditions which may be difficult to manage after the transplant procedure has been performed or which may represent a contraindication to transplantation, e. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2018 Jan 10;31(1). Epub 2017 Nov 10.

Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India.

Am J Case Rep 2017 Oct 26;18:1140-1144. Epub 2017 Oct 26.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Capital Medical University Affiliated Beijing You An Hospital, Beijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) infection is one of the most common opportunistic infections in AIDS patients. C. Read More

J Cutan Pathol 2018 Jan 20;45(1):90-93. Epub 2017 Nov 20.

Department of Dermatology, St. Joseph Mercy Health System, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Cutaneous Cryptococcus infection presents classically with granulomatous and gelatinous reactive patterns. Cases mimicking neutrophilic dermatoses have not been described. Conversely, neutrophilic dermatoses with degrading cells mimicking cryptococcal organisms have been reported. Read More

J Pediatr 2018 01 28;192:256-258. Epub 2017 Sep 28.

Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Department of Dermatology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.

We report a case of cutaneous cryptococcosis due to Cryptococcus neoformans in a pediatric patient with hyper IgM syndrome with scalp lesions that resembled tinea capitis on gross examination and mimicked juvenile xanthogranuloma on histologic examination. This case highlights the importance of considering cutaneous cryptococcosis in patients with hyper IgM syndrome. Read More

Indian J Nephrol 2017 Sep-Oct;27(5):392-394

Department of Internal Medical, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a significant cause of morbidity in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Common causes among them are , , and . Antifungal prophylaxis has led to decrease in overall incidence of IFI; however, there is very little decline in the incidence of Cryptococcal infections of SOT recipients because effective prophylaxis is not available against this infectious agent. Read More

J Mycol Med 2017 Sep 31;27(3):421-424. Epub 2017 May 31.

Lab. Micologia Medica, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Pascal 36, 20133, Milano, Italy. Electronic address:

Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal disease caused by the basidiomycetes yeasts Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii with high predilection to invade the central nervous system mainly in immunocompromised hosts. Skin can be secondarily involved in disseminated infection or be exceptionally involved as primary cutaneous infection by inoculation with contaminated materials. Read More

Open Forum Infect Dis 2017 19;4(1):ofw276. Epub 2017 Jan 19.

Dermatology Department, University Hospital Puerta del Mar, Andalusian Health Service, Cádiz, Spain.

Front Microbiol 2017 13;8:616. Epub 2017 Apr 13.

Núcleo de Diagnóstico e Investigação Molecular, Laboratório de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte FluminenseCampos dos Goytacazes, Brazil.

Patients with Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Diseases (MSMD) exhibit variable vulnerability to infections by mycobacteria and other intramacrophagic bacteria (e.g., and ) and fungi (e. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2017 04 26;17(1):311. Epub 2017 Apr 26.

Department of Dermatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Background: Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic infection caused by the encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus neoformans and most remarkably manifests in HIV-infected individuals, especially in the settings of very low CD4 count. Development of cryptococcosis in HIV-uninfected individuals is exceedingly rare and usually signifies a marked immunodeficiency. Cryptococcosis in association with myasthenia gravis or thymoma has been previously documented in only very few cases in the literature. Read More

Cutis 2017 03;99(3):E16-E18

Department of Dermatology, Rochester General Hospital Research Institute, New York, USA.

An Bras Dermatol 2016 Sep-Oct;91(5 suppl 1):29-31

Universidade do Oeste Paulista (Unoeste) - Presidente Prudente (SP), Brazil.

Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans that tends to affect immunocompromised individuals. The fungi are mostly acquired by inhalation, which leads to an initial pulmonary infection. Later, other organs - such as the central nervous system and the skin - can be affected by hematogenous spread. Read More

JAAD Case Rep 2017 Jan 3;3(1):53-54. Epub 2017 Feb 3.

Department of Dermatology, University of Mississippi Medical School, Jackson, Mississippi.

Int J Dermatol 2017 Apr 15;56(4):452-454. Epub 2017 Feb 15.

Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Oncodermatology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.

Vet Dermatol 2017 Aug 29;28(4):405-e97. Epub 2017 Jan 29.

Dermatopathology Specialty Service, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.

Background: Cryptococcosis is an uncommon fungal infection in humans and mammals. Occasionally, cryptococcosis manifests as cutaneous lesions, either as an extension of nasal disease or as stand alone lesions unassociated with the nose. Histologically, these lesions are typically characterized by abundant organisms with mild granulomatous dermatitis. Read More

Case Rep Dermatol 2016 Sep-Dec;8(3):250-253. Epub 2016 Oct 4.

Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas, Hospital Federal dos Servidores do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (HFSE), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A 50-year-old male underwent liver transplantation due to cryptogenic cirrhosis and was admitted with severe pain in the left leg as well as phlogosis. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was prescribed, assuming bullous erysipelas. Among the tests performed, the latex agglutination test for the sp. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2017 Apr 6;19(2). Epub 2017 Mar 6.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.

Non-Candida opportunistic yeasts are emerging causes of bloodstream infection (BSI) in immunocompromised hosts. However, their clinical presentation, management, and outcomes in stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients are not well described. We report the first case to our knowledge of Pseudozyma BSI in a SCT recipient. Read More

An Bras Dermatol 2016 Nov-Dec;91(6):832-834

Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) - Campo Grande (MS), Brasil.

Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection of opportunistic behavior that is unusual in immunocompetent patients. We report a rare case of disseminated cryptococcosis with cutaneous involvement in an immunocompetent individual. During hospitalization, Cryptococcus gattii was isolated from skin lesions, lung and spinal fluid. Read More

Clin Exp Dermatol 2017 Mar 2;42(2):226-229. Epub 2017 Jan 2.

Department of Dermatology, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK.