Cystic Blastomycosis of the Cerebral Gray Matter

Colliding Epidemics and the Rise of Cryptococcosis

“…being an opportunistic pathogen occurring in patients with leukemia and other immunocompromised hosts arose with the first report of cryptococcosis (then cystic blastomyces or torulosis) in a patient with Hodgkin’s disease [ 3 ]. Interestingly, the authors inoculated guinea pigs with the spinal fluid collected from this patient intraperitoneally, intranasally and subcutaneously, and demonstrated this led to weight loss and death [ 3 ]. Cerebral infection with Cryptococcus was further demonstrated on autopsy after infection by the latter two routes [ 3 ].…”

History of medical mycology in the united states

“…The name T. histolytica had been given by Stoddard and Cutler in 1916 (409) to a yeast that they found in two American patients, and it had been reported from Europe in three patients with cryptococcal meningitis (as Torula infections). However, Freeman and Weidman (129) dismissed the two American cases as unacceptable infections caused by C. neoformans, recognizing only the three European cases and the yeast recovered by Frothingham in 1902 (132) from the lung of a horse. They conducted an extensive study of their own case (129), which is the first well-documented report of cryptococcal meningitis in the United States.…”

“…However, Freeman and Weidman (129) dismissed the two American cases as unacceptable infections caused by C. neoformans, recognizing only the three European cases and the yeast recovered by Frothingham in 1902 (132) from the lung of a horse. They conducted an extensive study of their own case (129), which is the first well-documented report of cryptococcal meningitis in the United States. The patient, aged 39, was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of severe paroxysmal headaches of 1-month duration, vomiting, poor vision, rigidity of the neck, and difficulty in writing and talking.…”

History of medical mycology in the united states.

“…Cryptococcosis. In 1923, Freeman and Weidman at the University of Pennsylvania reported a case of ''cystic infiltration'' of the brain, which they believed was caused by C. neoformans (as Torula histolytica) (129). The name T. histolytica had been given by Stoddard and Cutler in 1916 (409) to a yeast that they found in two American patients, and it had been reported from Europe in three patients with cryptococcal meningitis (as Torula infections).…”

“…Stained tissue sections showed edema, fibrous hyperplasia, and cellular infiltrates with plasma cells and lymphocytes (without PMNs). The yeasts were found both intra-and extracellularly, with only a few budding cells (129). Although physiologic studies were performed, no conclusive results were reported.…”