Cutaneous manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis

Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Skin and Soft-Tissue Infections

“…Cryptococcal infections originate in the lungs, often with early hematogenous dissemination to the meninges and skin or soft tissues [219], but primary cutaneous cryptococcus also occurs [220]. Single or multiple painless skin lesions involving the face and scalp develop in 5%-10% of clinically infected patients, and in some patients, these lesions may precede documented cryptococcal meningitis by several weeks.…”

Disseminated Cryptococcosis Presented as Necrotizing Fasciitis of a Limb

“…2 Even in the patients with AIDS, the cutaneous lesions usually present as non-NF soft tissue infection, not fatal NF. 3,4 Although such infection types are frequent in compromised patients, it is important to understand they can occur in normal hosts as well. Disseminated cryptococcosis with fatal NF is very rare, especially in a nonimmunocompromised patient.…”

“…[1][2][3][4] In patients with a disseminated form of the disease, the organism is presumed to be inhaled, infecting the lungs first and then spreading hematogenously to other organs, most frequently to the meninges. Disseminated cryptococcosis with the early appearance of a fatal necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is very rare and, to the authors' knowledge, unreported in the literatures.…”

Cutaneous Cryptococcosis Mimicking Keloid

“…These lesions are polymorphous and therefore not diagnostic. Nodules, ulcers, cellulitis, draining sinus tracts and lesions mimicking Kaposi's sarcoma, molluscum contagiosum, herpes simplex, varicella and pyoderma grangrenosum are among the variety of lesions that have been reported [4,6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. In our case, the lesion simulated a keloid.…”