Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 16, 2026

An Optimized Protocol for Candida albicans Infection in Schmidtea mediterranea to Study Fungal Pathogenesis and Host Defense
06:53

An Optimized Protocol for Candida albicans Infection in Schmidtea mediterranea to Study Fungal Pathogenesis and Host Defense

Published on: April 17, 2026

Central nervous system paracoccidioidomycosis: an overview

Sérgio Monteiro de Almeida1

  • 1Hospital de Clínicas--UFPR, Especialidade de Neurologia. Rua General Carneiro, PR-Brazil. sdealmeida@popmail.ucsd.edu

The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases
|August 30, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a fungal infection affecting South America. This review focuses on central nervous system involvement (CNS PCM), detailing its presentation, diagnosis, and treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology and infectious diseases
  • Neuroscience
  • Tropical medicine

Background:

  • Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a prevalent infectious disease in subtropical Central and South America.
  • Caused by the dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, PCM typically affects adult males.
  • Central nervous system involvement (CNS PCM) occurs in 13% of systemic cases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the clinical presentation of CNS PCM.
  • To discuss diagnostic techniques for CNS PCM.
  • To outline current treatment strategies for CNS PCM.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of clinical presentations.
  • Analysis of diagnostic methodologies.
  • Evaluation of treatment outcomes for CNS PCM.

Main Results:

  • Detailed description of various clinical manifestations of CNS PCM.
  • Summary of effective diagnostic tools, including imaging and laboratory tests.
  • Overview of therapeutic regimens and their efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • CNS PCM presents with diverse neurological symptoms.
  • Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are crucial for managing CNS PCM.
  • Further research is needed to optimize treatment protocols for CNS PCM.

Related Concept Videos

Cryptococcal Meningitis01:27

Cryptococcal Meningitis

Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening opportunistic infection predominantly associated with HIV/AIDS, accounting for over 100,000 deaths annually worldwide. However, it also affects individuals with other forms of immunosuppression, including those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, organ transplant recipients, patients with innate immunodeficiencies, and individuals with hematological disorders. The infection is caused mainly by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii,...
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia01:28

Fungal Phylum Microsporidia

Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
Encephalitis ll: Pathophysiology01:26

Encephalitis ll: Pathophysiology

Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain parenchyma caused by direct viral invasion or immune-mediated mechanisms triggered by infections or tumors. Both processes lead to neuronal injury, disrupted neurotransmission, and diverse neurological symptoms, often with overlapping clinical and pathological features.Autoimmune EncephalitisIn autoimmune encephalitis, antibodies target neuronal antigens on cell surfaces, synapses, or within neurons. A key example is anti-NMDAR encephalitis, which can...
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence01:28

Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence

Infectious diseases appear in populations through various transmission patterns, influenced by pathogen characteristics, population immunity, environmental conditions, and social behavior. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective public health surveillance and intervention. These categories—sporadic, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, and endemic—help frame the nature and scope of disease events.Sporadic diseases occur irregularly and infrequently, without a predictable temporal or...
American Trypanosomiasis01:22

American Trypanosomiasis

Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
Toxoplasmosis01:28

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...