What is cryptococcosis?
Cryptococcosis is an illness caused by infection with Cryptococcus fungi in your brain or lungs. It can also spread to many areas of your body (disseminated cryptococcosis).
When you have a Cryptococcus infection in your brain, it’s called cryptococcal meningitis. It can cause fever, headaches and neck stiffness. In your lungs, it’s sometimes called cryptococcal pneumonia or pulmonary cryptococcosis. It can cause you to cough and feel like you can’t breathe deeply enough or catch your breath.
Different types of Cryptococcus fungi make different people sick. Cryptococcus neoformans usually only causes people with weakened immune systems to get sick. Cryptococcus gattii can make you sick even if you have a healthy immune system.
What are the symptoms of cryptococcosis?
Symptoms of cryptococcosis depend on where the fungus infects you. Lung infections can cause pneumonia-like symptoms, and central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) infections can cause meningitis-like symptoms. Disseminated cryptococcosis causes symptoms in many parts of your body.
Lung symptoms of cryptococcosis (cryptococcal pneumonia)
Central nervous system symptoms (cryptococcal meningitis)
- Fever.
- Headache.
- Neck pain or stiffness. You might not be able to touch your chin to your chest.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Sensitivity to light.
Disseminated cryptococcosis symptoms
If you have disseminated cryptococcosis, you might have lung or central nervous system symptoms as well as skin changes. You might notice:
- Thick or hard patches (plaques).
- Rashes.
- Sores.
- Bumps.
- Blisters.
What causes cryptococcosis?
The fungi Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii) and Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) cause cryptococcosis. They live in the environment — in dirt (soil), on trees and in bird poop.
Where is Cryptococcus commonly found?
Both C. gattii and C. neoformans are found in many parts of the world. C. gattii is more commonly found in:
- Australia.
- British Columbia in Canada.
- The Pacific Northwest in the U.S.
- Southeast Asia.
How do you get cryptococcosis?
You get cryptococcosis from breathing in Cryptococcus fungi from the air. You can’t see it, and it’s hard to avoid it if you’re in an area where it’s common.
Most people breathe in the fungus without having symptoms. But in some people, the fungus grows in their lungs or travels through their body to their brain, making them sick. Sometimes you can have the fungus in your lungs for a long time, but it only grows and causes symptoms when something (like an illness or medications) weakens your immune system.
Is it contagious?
No, cryptococcosis isn’t contagious. You can’t get it from another person who’s infected.
Who’s more likely to get cryptococcosis?
C. neoformans is more likely to cause disease in people who have a weakened (compromised) immune system. This includes people who have:
C. gattii can make both people with healthy immune systems and people with compromised immune systems sick.
What are the complications of cryptococcosis?
Cryptococcosis can cause serious complications, especially if you have an infection in your brain. Complications include:
- Increased pressure on your brain (intracranial pressure). This is excessive pressure caused by too much fluid that can cause brain damage if left untreated.
- Partial or complete blindness.
- Eye disease or inflammation.
- Weakness in the muscles that control your eyes (extraocular muscle paresis).
- Relapse. Cryptococcosis symptoms sometimes come back after treatment.
- Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). IRIS is a condition where your immune system overreacts after treatment and makes your symptoms worse. It’s more common in people with HIV, but sometimes people without HIV have experienced it, too.
How is cryptococcosis treated?
Providers use antifungals to treat cryptococcosis. Your specific treatment depends on where Cryptococcus is in your body and the health of your immune system. For instance, just one antifungal may be enough treatment for people with mild pulmonary cryptococcosis. But people who are severely ill or have cryptococcal meningitis might need more intense treatment, like multiple antifungal medications over a long period of time.
Specific medications and procedures used to treat cryptococcosis
Specific medications and procedures that can treat cryptococcosis include:
How is cryptococcosis diagnosed?
Providers diagnose cryptococcosis by testing your tissues or body fluids for signs of Cryptococcus fungi. They may test your:
They’ll also use your symptoms, medical and travel history, and imaging to help diagnose cryptococcosis. Depending on your symptoms, you may get chest X-rays, a CT scan (computed tomography scan) or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to look for changes in your lungs or brain.
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