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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Macrophage Cholesterol Depletion and Its Effect on the Phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans
Published on: December 19, 2014
Cryptococcosis in children
Cecília Bittencourt Severo1, Melissa Orzechowski Xavier, Alexandra Flávia Gazzoni
1Laboratório de Micologia da Santa Casa Complexo Hospitalar de Porto Alegre, Brazil. cicasevero@hotmail.com
Abstract:
Cryptococcosis is a systemic-opportunistic mycosis caused by two species of the encapsulated yeast-like organism, Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii, which cause infection in immunocompromised individuals and in immunologically normal hosts, respectively. Most susceptible to infection are patients with T-cell deficiencies. The spectrum of disease ranges from asymptomatic pulmonary lesions to disseminated infection with meningoencephalitis. After the emergence of AIDS, cryptococcal infections have become much more common. The mycosis occurs less frequently in children than in adults. The purpose of this article is to discuss the aetiology, clinical presentation, predisposing conditions and outcomes in cases of cryptococcosis in children. Emphasis is placed upon paediatric cases occuring in Brazil and in particular to highlight the difference between cases diagnosed in Porto Alegre (South - subtropical climate) and in Belem (North - equatorial climate).
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