Parkinsonism and prolonged cognitive decline as a manifestation of cryptococcal meningitis in a renal transplant patient.
Ricky NellesSumudu BrittonGeorge Tharayil JohnCharles DenaroPublished in: BMJ case reports (2022)
We report a case of a 67-year-old male recipient of a second renal allograft, presenting with a 9-month history of progressive cognitive and physical decline with features of Parkinsonism. He was HIV-negative. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal antigen was positive though CSF culture was sterile. He had progressive deterioration despite induction and consolidation antifungal treatment. Postmortem brain examination confirmed a large burden of yeast forms in the substantia nigra with widespread chronic meningitis. The significant delay in presentation and diagnosis owing to the atypical, subacute neurocognitive features serves as a timely reminder of the variety of neurological presentations that may be associated with cryptococcal infection in solid organ transplant recipients.
Keyphrases
- cerebrospinal fluid
- cognitive decline
- case report
- mild cognitive impairment
- multiple sclerosis
- drug induced
- parkinson disease
- antiretroviral therapy
- hiv infected
- hiv positive
- human immunodeficiency virus
- hepatitis c virus
- white matter
- hiv testing
- mental health
- candida albicans
- resting state
- physical activity
- hiv aids
- cerebral ischemia
- bipolar disorder
- men who have sex with men
- functional connectivity
- replacement therapy
- risk factors
- kidney transplantation
- saccharomyces cerevisiae
- smoking cessation
- cell wall
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- blood brain barrier