Cryptococcosis on Darker Skin: Epidemiology and Etiology

00:01 Moving on to Cryptococcosis.

00:04 It's a fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans.

00:09 The infection is primarily through inhalation of Cryptococcus spores found in soil and bird droppings. It can present in a number of ways relative to the principal site of site of infection. So can one can have pulmonary involvement, central nervous system, and disseminated cryptococcosis.

00:32 What are some of the skin manifestations? Cutaneous manifestations occur in 10 to 15% of patients with cryptococcosis.

00:42 The skin can be the only site of infection in immunocompromised patients.

00:47 It is usually a sign of disseminated disease in immunosuppressed patients, especially those with HIV.

00:54 Some of the clinical features of cutaneous Cryptococcus, patients may present with papules, pustules, nodules, and ulcers, and bleeding into the skin may be seen as petechiae or ecchymosis.

01:09 Sometimes this condition can resemble a molluscum contagiosum, but hemorrhagic lesions are more typical of Cryptococcus if one tries to differentiate between this and Molluscum contagiosum.

01:23 Patients with cryptococcal skin infection should undergo assessments to rule out the presence of cryptococcal meningitis, as this is one of the complications of Cryptococcus.