cryptococcal meningitis prognosis

Other medications for intracranial pressure. Primary antifungal prophylaxis for cryptococcosis is not routinely recommended in HIV-infected patients in the United States and Europe, but areas with limited HAART availability, high levels of antiretroviral drug resistance, and a high burden of disease might consider it or a preemptive strategy with serum cryptococcal antigen testing for asymptomatic antigenemia (see above) (B-I). In this phase II study, the 14-day end point of success in the AmBd alone, AmBd plus fluconazole (400 mg [6 mg/kg] per day), and AmBd plus fluconazole (800 mg [12 mg/kg] per day) treatment arms was 41%, 27%, and 54%, respectively. Three options exist for antifungal maintenance therapy of AIDS-associated cryptococcal meningoencephalitis: (1) oral fluconazole (200 mg per day), (2) oral itraconazole (200 mg twice per day orally), or (3) AmBd (1 mg/kg per week IV). Despite the possibility that a false-positive antigen test result has occurred with a negative diagnostic work-up, this high-risk group probably benefits from preemptive therapy. There are also case reports of very low levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6) and high levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 in C. gattii meningitis in nonimmunocompromised hosts that were associated with slowed clearance of cryptococcus from the CSF [117, 118]. AmBd (0.7–1.0 mg/kg per day IV) plus flucytosine (100 mg/kg per day orally in 4 divided doses) for at least 4 weeks for induction therapy. Evidence summary. Australian aboriginal women with cryptococcosis during pregnancy have been noted to have particularly poorer outcomes [135, 136]; the precise basis for this poor prognosis, however, is not understood. 41. A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is used to diagnose meningitis. Although the widespread use of HAART has lowered the incidence of cryptococcosis in medically developed countries [6–9], the incidence and mortality of this infection are still extremely high in areas where uncontrolled HIV disease persists and limited access to HAART and/or health care occurs [10]. Successful treatment with liposomal AmB has been reported in children with cryptococcosis at daily doses of 5–7.5 mg/kg per day [156, 157]. Many of the patients in whom all parenchymal disease has been surgically excised, who are asymptomatic, and who have absent serum cryptococcal antigen titers may or may not require antifungal therapy (see previous paragraph). People who recover from cryptococcal meningitis need long-term medicine to prevent the infection from coming back. Treatment regimens are similar to those for disseminated or CNS disease, and drug selection and duration of therapy depend on severity of disease, response to therapy, and host immune status, because there are no substantial specific studies for individual body sites except for the lung and CNS. Lipid formulations of AmB (LFAmB), including liposomal AmB (3–4 mg/kg per day IV) and AmB lipid complex (ABLC; 5 mg/kg per day IV) for at least 2 weeks, could be substituted for AmBd among patients with or predisposed to renal dysfunction (B-II). If used, the tolerated dosage is uncertain, but 0.7 mg/kg per day is suggested with frequent renal function monitoring. 63. These reports provide a wide range (6 weeks to >1 year) for length of therapy. The NIAID Mycoses Study Group and the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, Treatment of cryptococcal meningitis associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Cerebral cryptococcomas respond slowly and relatively poorly to antifungal therapy [108, 109]. Therefore, the optimal treatment for cryptococcal pneumonia has not been fully elucidated. Notably, low success rates at 800 mg per day have been substantially improved with dosages of 1200–2000 mg per day [37]. If there is evidence of obstruction that needs decompression, drainage may be done safely via ventriculostomy or VP shunt [94]. 17. LFAmB may be substituted for AmBd, especially if there is concern regarding nephrotoxicity [31–34]. Emphasis has been placed on potential complications in management of cryptococcal infection, including increased intracranial pressure, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), drug resistance, and cryptococcomas. On the basis of these data, it can be concluded that most relapses occur within 6 months in patients who do not receive maintenance therapy, and continuation of maintenance antifungal therapy in solid-organ transplant recipients for at least 6 and up to 12 months is rational. The purpose of the teleconferences was to discuss the questions to be addressed, make writing assignments, and discuss recommendations. Pulmonary cryptococcosis includes clinical entities ranging from asymptomatic pneumonia to severe ARDS [81, 89, 120]. 80. Generally, laboratories will keep fungal cultures for 3–4 weeks for detection of yeast growth, and most persistently positive cryptococcal cultures on therapy will grow within 2 weeks. 55. When available, all patients should receive a polyene in the induction treatment regimen for cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. AmBd (0.7 mg/kg per day IV) plus fluconazole (800 mg per day orally) for 2 weeks, followed by fluconazole (800 mg per day orally) for a minimum of 8 weeks (B-I). Strength of Recommendation and Quality of Evidence, Primary therapy: induction and consolidation. Corticosteroid treatment may be considered if ARDS is present in the context of IRIS (B-III). If fluconazole maintenance therapy is discontinued following a successful response to HAART (ie, a CD4 T cell count ⩾100 cells/uL and an undetectable or low viral load), clinical monitoring for relapse of infection and serial monitoring of serum cryptococcal antigen and CD4 T cell counts are recommended. Pulmonary cryptococcosis (same as C. neoformans): single, small cryptococcoma suggests fluconazole (400 mg per day orally); for very large and multiple cryptococcomas, consider a combination of AmBd and flucytosine therapy for 4–6 weeks, followed by fluconazole for 6–18 months, depending on whether surgery was performed (B-III). Therefore, it is impossible to tailor a regimen that fits all patients. Since then, the strength of these guidelines has been supported by reports of adverse consequences when they are not followed [2, 92]. 34. Otherwise, an MIC of the persistent or relapse isolate ⩾16 µg/mL for fluconazole or ⩾32 µg/mL for flucytosine may be considered resistant, and alternative agents should be considered (B-III). is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Cerebral cryptococcomas can cause significant short- and long-term neurological morbidity, are difficult-to-treat, and require prolonged antifungal therapy [108, 109]. Expert Panel members were assigned sections of the guideline and reviewed the relevant literature. They have been reported rarely in patients with AIDS, although ∼2% of HIV-associated cases in the Gauteng province of South Africa are caused by C. gattii. In Thailand, the combinational use of AmBd plus 800 mg per day of fluconazole was an acceptable fungicidal regimen, compared with polyene alone [38]. Then, start consolidation with fluconazole (400 mg per day) for 8 weeks (B-II). They are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. Cryptococcal meningitis is a common fungal form of the disease that affects people with immune deficiencies, such as AIDS. The vertebrae are the most common bony site for disease. For instance, 28% of study participants had to stop flucytosine therapy, mainly because of gastrointestinal adverse effects or cytopenias, but >95% of participants did tolerate flucytosine therapy for ⩾2 weeks [35]. However, some isolates of C. gattii from Vancouver, British Columbia, Spain, and Latin America have high azole MICs, and thus, the role of direct drug resistance in management difficulties of some cases needs to be investigated [189, 190]. The overall probability of allograft survival after C. neoformans infection is significantly lower in patients who develop IRIS than in those who do not. Outcome was worse in those who had developed a Glasgow coma score <9; thus, early placement in difficult cases may be beneficial [94]. Thus, careful adjustment of the reduction in posttransplantation immunosuppression by spacing the reduction of immunosuppressants over time and/or providing a step-wise elimination of immunosuppressants following initiation of anti-fungal therapy is a prudent approach to the management of transplant recipients with cryptococcosis [83]. In addition, when fluconazole is used as initial therapy, the long time taken to sterilize the CSF means that CSF culture results may still be positive when disease is primarily caused by IRIS. French Cryptococcosis Study Group, Cryptococcosis in human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients in the era of effective azole therapy, Recombinant interferon-γ 1b as adjunctive therapy for AIDS-related acute cryptococcal meningitis, Relationship of cerebrospinal fluid pressure, fungal burden and outcome in patients with cryptococcal meningitis undergoing serial lumbar punctures, Managing cryptococcal meningitis is about handling the pressure, Cryptococcal neuroradiological lesions correlate with severity during cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in HIV-positive patients in the HAART era, The use of ventriculoperitoneal shunts for uncontrollable intracranial hypertension without ventriculomegally secondary to HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis, Diagnosis and management of increased intracranial pressure in patients with AIDS and cryptococcal meningitis. Infectious Diseases Society of America, Major role for amphotericin B-flucytosine combination in severe cryptococcosis, The changing epidemiology of cryptococcosis: an update from population-based active surveil-lance in 2 large metropolitan areas, 1992–2000, Cryptococcosis in Australasia and the treatment of cryptococcal and other fungal infections with liposomal amphotericin B, Declining number of patients with cryptococcosis in the Netherlands in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, Epidemiology of cryptococcosis in France: a 9-year survey (1985–1993). Because no significant comparative trials/studies have been conducted to evaluate “salvage therapy” for patients for whom primary therapy fails or who experience relapse after successful primary therapy, our recommendations are based solely on clinical experience/personal preference and several small, open trial studies with refractory disease. In apparently healthy hosts, CT most commonly reveals small, ring-enhancing lesions. Thus, a systematic evaluation, including blood and CSF cultures and measurement of serum and CSF cryptococcal polysaccharide antigen, should be performed in an immunosuppressed patient for whom bronchoalveolar lavage or sputum culture results are positive for C. neoformans [14]. Children generally tolerate AmBd better than adults, and a dosage of 1 mg/kg per day for the treatment of cryptococcosis is commonly used [153–155]. 5. Although the exact nature of the infectious propagule is unknown, the leading … This study also demonstrated higher early mortality and reduced ability to rapidly convert CSF culture results to negative with fluconazole alone. NIAID AIDS Clinical Trials Group, Itraconazole prophylaxis for fungal infections in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus infection: randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. The prognosis for any patient with adrenal insufficiency will … Renal transplant recipients with cryptococcosis may experience allograft loss temporally related to the onset of IRIS through TH1 up-regulation [82]. 1. If the patient is receiving an appropriate antifungal regimen, VP shunts can be placed during active infection and without complete sterilization of CNS, if clinically necessary (B-III). In a very recent study of 143 randomized patients, the combination use of AmBd (0.7 mg/kg per day) plus fluconazole (800 mg per day) demonstrated satisfactory outcomes, compared with AmBd alone, and may be a reasonable approach to therapy in settings where flucytosine is not available or contraindicated [38]. In HIV-negative hosts, intracranial infection with C. gattii is associated with more neurological complications, a delayed response to therapy, and a higher incidence of neurosurgical intervention [108] than is disease due to C. neoformans [108, 109, 186], despite similar susceptibility of the 2 species to antifungal drugs when tested in vitro in some reports [110, 186, 187]. 24. Small pharmacokinetic studies from South Africa and Thailand suggest a 75%–100% increase in nevirapine exposure with use of fluconazole at 400 mg per day. Evidence summary. The combination of fluconazole plus flucytosine improves outcomes in murine models [181, 182] although not in a rabbit study [174]. The slow response to therapy is largely because C. gattii infection causes a disproportionate number of cryptococcomas in the brain (up to 30% of cases) and/or lung, compared with C. neoformans [110]. Treatment and prognosis. Meningitis is a serious inflammation of the meninges, the thin, membranous covering of the brain and the spinal cord. Patients with HIV disease generally do not have classic hydrocephalus or cryptococcal mass lesions on presentation, and radiographic images commonly show no abnormality or cerebral atrophy without obstruction or other pathology [95]. This fungus is found in soil around the world. Although fluconazole and itraconazole have been shown to reduce frequency of primary cryptococcal disease among those who have CD4 cell counts <50 cells/µL [68, 69], primary prophylaxis for crytococcosis is not routinely recommended in this group with advanced medical care. AmBd (0.7–1.0 mg/kg per day IV), liposomal AmB (3–4 mg/kg per day IV), or ABLC (5 mg/kg per day IV) for 4–6 weeks (A-II). A clinical study from Uganda suggested a benefit with the addition of flucytosine to fluconazole, although the dosage of fluconazole was low (200 mg per day) [36]; and in a small series from the United States, the combination of flucytosine (at 150 mg/kg per day) and fluconazole (at 400 mg per day) resulted in a relatively short median time to CSF sterilization of 23 days, although adverse effects with the combination, which was given for 10 weeks, appeared to be frequent [35]. In patients at low risk for therapeutic failure (ie, they have an early diagnosis by history, no uncontrolled underlying disease or immunocompromised state, and excellent clinical response to initial 2-week antifungal combination course), consider induction therapy with combination of AmBd plus flucytosine for only 2 weeks, followed by consolidation with fluconazole (800 mg [12 mg/kg] per day orally) for 8 weeks (B-III). Efavirenz levels may also be raised (16% increase in the area under the curve) with coadministration of fluconazole at 200–400 mg per day [180], but at higher dosages of fluconazole, the impact on efavirenz is not certain. ... cryptococcal meningitis is a rare but life-threatening complication of sarcoidosis and patient's may be misdiagnosed as neurosarcoidosis, which can result in considerable treatment delay and worse outcome. A similar rationale can also be applied to the management of immunosuppression in transplant recipients with these infections. These tissues are called meninges. In all non–HIV-infected and in most HIV-infected patients receiving combination antifungal therapy with AmBd plus flucytosine, negative cultures at 2 weeks of therapy should be a goal. Therapies for ocular infections range from systemic combinations of polyene with high–eye penetration drugs, such as flucytosine and/or fluconazole, to adjunctive intravitreal AmBd in consult with an ophthalmologist. Presentations with single large lesions (⩾3 cm) indistinguishable from acute pyogenic abscesses or with symptomatic hydrocephalus are less common but necessitate early consideration of surgery for partial removal, histopathology and culture for confirmation of diagnosis, and/or CSF VP shunt insertion [108, 112]. Reinstitution of fluconazole maintenance therapy should be considered if the CD4 cell count decreases to <100 cells/µL and/or the serum cryptococcal antigen titer increases [55]. Mannitol has no proven benefit and is not routinely recommended (A-III). Given the continuing high morbidity and mortality of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in non–HIV-infected patients associated with suboptimal treatment regimens and the poor results of fluconazole alone for cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in HIV-infected patients, there is insufficient evidence to recommend fluconazole alone or combined with flucytosine as primary induction therapy for non–HIV-infected, nontransplant patients. Seventy-six percent of the culture-positive relapse episodes were associated with isolates that had reduced susceptibility to fluconazole (MIC, ⩾64 µg/mL), raising concerns about the efficacy of fluconazole alone as initial therapy for this disease, particularly in those with prior azole exposure. AmBd is well distributed in the umbilical cord serum, amniotic fluid, and placenta [135, 137–139]. Surgery may also be needed to achieve cure in cases unresponsive to prolonged or repeated induction antifungal therapy [109, 111]. For severe disease, treat similarly to CNS disease (B-III). Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cryptococcal antigen in CSF or blood, to look for antibodies, CSF examination for cell count, glucose, and protein. The guideline recommendations for cryptococcal meningoencephalitis management are summarized in Tables 2–5. The question remains, “Should all patients with isolated pulmonary cryptococcosis be offered antifungal therapy?” Some experts suggest treating all patients who have viable cryptococci isolated from the lung or respiratory tract, whereas others recommend that many of these apparently immunocompetent patients can be observed without specific therapy, provided that they are asymptomatic, that the lesion has been resected, and that there is no clinical, serologic, or radiographic evidence of extrapulmonary disease [78]. 9th ed. Meningitis alone responds to the same therapy as C. neoformans meningitis. However, these azoles have been used as salvage therapy for HIV-infected individuals in open trials. Their toxicities and effectiveness must be balanced against the potential rapid immune reconstitution of HAART impact on relapse rates without maintenance therapies and close monitoring. Antifungal Treatment Recommendations for Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis in Transplant Recipients, Antifungal Treatment Recommendations for Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis in Non–Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected and Nontransplant Patients. Hydrocephalus requires placement of a VP shunt combined with antifungal therapy [112]. 78. In the current era of organ transplantation, immunosuppressive regimens in a vast majority of the transplant recipients with cryptococcosis include a calcineurin inhibitor (eg, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, or sirolimus), and drug-drug interactions must be considered. For instance, among US children with AIDS, the incidence appears to be on the order of 0.5%–1% [147, 148]. LFAmB, including liposomal AmB (3–4 mg/kg per day IV) and ABLC (5 mg/kg per day IV) for at least 2 weeks, could be substituted for AmBd among patients with or predisposed to renal dysfunction (B-II). Radiography reveals a well-circumscribed osteolytic lesion resembling malignancy. The rate of relapse of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in the non–HIV-infected patient ranged from 15% to 25% [29] prior to the AIDS epidemic and use of fluconazole. Evidence summary. Cryptococcal meningitis is a fungal infection of the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord. Among patients with refractory cryptococcosis, voriconazole demonstrated success in 7 (39%) of 18 patients overall and led to stable disease in 10 (89%) of 11 patients. Fluconazole is excreted in breast milk at concentrations similar to plasma. This complication of increased intracranial pressure must be reduced without causing cerebral herniation. A recent study of 64 randomized HIV-infected patients with cryptococcal meningoencephalitis showed that AmBd at 1.0 mg/kg per day was more fungicidal than at 0.7 mg/kg per day with the use of flucytosine [30]. This form of meningitis starts slowly, over a few days to a few weeks.

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