Cryptococcal meningitis

What it means

A type of fungal meningitis caused by an encapsulated yeast that belongs to the genus Cryptococcus. Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are responsible for the majority of cases of human cryptococcosis.

Cryptococcus yeasts are ubiquitous in the environment and are acquired by inhalation. In the immunocompromised host, reactivation of latent disease is believed to be responsible for the subsequent development of cryptococcal disease. For instance, in persons with depletion of CD4+ T cells, the ability of the immune response to adequately contain cryptococcal infection is impaired.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category