Cryptococcal meningitis associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in African patients: treatment with...

Cryptococcal meningitis associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is particularly common in tropical Africa. This could be explained by the dramatic increase in the number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and the high prevalence of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans in the domestic and general environment of HIV-positive and AIDS patients Meningoencephalitis is the usual and dominant clinical feature of cryptococcal infection in AIDS patients and 'slim disease', tuberculosis and candidiasis are the most common opportunistic infections associated with cryptococcal meningitis. In a group of 64 African patients with AIDS and cryptococcosis treatment with a daily dose of 400 mg fluconazole (FCA) during the acute phase showed a clinical cure in 63% of the evaluable patients. Mycological response to treatment with negative culture was found in 76% of our patients (at day 60-90). The overall tolerance of FCA was excellent. This treatment was also used successfully for relapse of cryptococcal meningitis.