Disseminated Cryptococcosis Complicating Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Lupia, Tommaso; Gaviraghi, Alberto; Concialdi, Erika; Penna, Maurizio; Corcione, Silvia; Rosa, Francesco Giuseppe De

doi:10.3390/biomed2010014

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11] However, all prior cases have been linked to immunocompromised conditions caused by either an underlying disease, immunodeficiency, or immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids, cytokine blockers, or chemotherapy. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Although there are cases of cryptococcosis that have reported in immunocompetent patients related to COVID-19, they were also patients who had hypertension, [10,16,17] diabetes, [10,17] chronic kidney disease, [16] cirrhosis, [16] or treated with corticosteroid for COVID-19. [9] In case of pulmonary cryptococcosis developed 2 months after recovering from COVID-19, also the patient had hypertension, diabetes, and treatment with corticosteroids for COVID-19.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[12][13][14][15] However, all reported cases of cryptococcosis in COVID-19 patients occurred currently with an immunocompromised status, corticosteroid use, cytokine blocker use, immunosuppressants use, HIV, malignancies, or medical comorbidities. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Thus far, there have been no reports of cryptococcosis in immunocompetent COVID-19 patients who had no underlying disease and no history of corticosteroid therapy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Pulmonary cryptococcosis after recovery from COVID-19 in an immunocompetent patient: A rare case report

Choi

2022

Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rationale: Cryptococcus neoformans (C neoformans) infection typically occurs in immunocompromised patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or those taking immunosuppressive drugs, corticosteroids, or chemotherapy. Recently, there have been an increasing number of reports of cryptococcosis as opportunistic infections in COVID-19 patients, all of which have been related to immunocompromising conditions, underlying medical diseases, immune suppression drugs, or corticosteroids. Here, we report the first case of pulmonary cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent patient with a history of COVID-19 who had no history of underlying diseases or immune modulation drugs.Patient concerns: A previously healthy 46-year-old man presented with tiny lung nodules. He had quit smoking 6 years prior. He had no significant medical history except for COVID-19 3 months prior, and had not received corticosteroids or cytokine blockers when he had COVID-19. He had been coughing since he recovered from COVID-19.Diagnosis: Bronchoalveolar lavage cultures showed the growth of C neoformans. A CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of the lung lesion was performed. Histopathology of the biopsy specimen showed granulomas with encapsulated yeast. There was no growth of C neoformans in the CSF or blood. He was diagnosed with pulmonary cryptococcosis.Intervention: Antifungal drug (fluconazole) was administered for 6 months in the outside clinic.Outcomes: The lung lesions disappeared after 6 months medication.Lessons: This case may illustrate the risk of pulmonary cryptococcosis after SARS-CoV-2 infection in an immunocompetent patient. Opportunistic infections can occur even after recovery from COVID-19 for several reasons. First, SARS-CoV-2 infection causes immune dysregulation including lymphocytopenia. Second, T lymphocytes play a principal role against Cryptococcus. Third, these changes in the immune system due to COVID-19 may last for several weeks. Thus, we suggest careful consideration of lung lesions in patients with a history of COVID-19.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pulmonary cryptococcosis after recovery from COVID-19 in an immunocompetent patient: A rare case report

Choi

2022

Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A case of disseminated cryptococcosis as a complicating factor of a severe case of COVID-19 was described by Lupia et al (2022). The 64-year-old patient had a history of obesity, alcoholism, toxic cirrhosis, decompensated insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and chronic kidney disease.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secondary infection by Cryptococcus spp. in HIV-negative patients in the context of Covid-19

Norberg,

Manhães

et al. 2023

Interdisciplinarity and Innovation in Scientific Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cryptococcosis is an infectious disease with worldwide distribution caused by fungi of the genus Cryptococcus, especially by the species C. neoformans and C. gattii. Cryptococcus infections begin with the inhalation of fungal particles that reach the lungs and can spread through hematogenous, especially in hosts with deficiencies in the cellular immune system. The acute respiratory syndrome in COVID-19 promotes a decrease in the efficiency of the immune system, either due to exhaustion resulting from the exacerbated response or due to immunosuppression in treatment with corticosteroids to contain the cytokine cascade in COVID-19, facilitating the appearance of opportunistic fungal infections in patients who develop severe cases of the virus due to SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this research is to conduct a review of clinical cases of cryptococcosis in co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 or the appearance of this mycosis in the post-COVID-19 convalescence period in HIV-uninfected individuals, analyzing the risk factors and circumstances associated with the relationship between cryptococcosis and COVID-19. Although cryptococcosis is a relatively rare infection among patients with COVID-19 and in the convalescence period of the disease, this opportunistic mycosis may be responsible for a mortality rate that is considered high (greater than 55%). Susceptibility to Cryptococcus spp. infection in the context of COVID-19 disease and treatment is strongly associated with corticosteroid use and pre-existing multiple comorbidities. It is not possible to determine the degree to which cryptococcosis is responsible for mortality in co-infection or infection during the COVID-19 convalescence period. The development of secondary infection by Cryptococcus spp. is indicative of a poor prognosis for the patient.

show abstract

Synthetic amino acids-derived peptides target Cryptococcus neoformans by inducing cell membrane disruption

Sharma

Aaghaz

Maurya

et al. 2023

Bioorganic Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disseminated Cryptococcosis Complicating Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

Pulmonary cryptococcosis after recovery from COVID-19 in an immunocompetent patient: A rare case report

Pulmonary cryptococcosis after recovery from COVID-19 in an immunocompetent patient: A rare case report

Secondary infection by Cryptococcus spp. in HIV-negative patients in the context of Covid-19

Synthetic amino acids-derived peptides target Cryptococcus neoformans by inducing cell membrane disruption

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About