Cryptococcosis in patients from Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

A study was done to investigate the occurrence of Cryptococcus neoformans infection in patients admitted to Tikur Anbessa Hospital. Cryptococcus neoformans is an important opportunistic fungal pathogen in immunocompromised patients. The study was done over a period of 18 months, from October 1998 to April 2000. During this period, a total of 1088 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were sent to the bacteriology laboratory in Tikur Anbessa Hospital, out of which 275 were subjected for India ink examination. Out of these 19 (7%) were India ink positive. Additionally one lymph node aspirate was also India ink positive. All these specimens were culture positive for Cryptococcus neoformans. The medical records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed and all presenting clinical symptoms were recorded. In this group of patients with meningitis the most common presenting were fever and headache. In addition, at the time of admission, 75% of the patients had other opportunistic infections, such as oral candidiasis, herpes zoster and Pneumocystis carini pneumonia. The mortality rate was high even in patients with appropriate therapy. All the isolates were identified as C. neoformans var. neoformans. The variety gatti was not isolated in this study.