Reconstitution kinetics of severe cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities in cryptococcal meningitis

Abstract

Abstract Cryptococcal meningitis (CC) is a rare and severe fungal infection in immunocompromised patients, affecting the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Host response and immunological mechanisms after CSF invasion of Cryptococcus neoformans have rarely been investigated in detail before. We retrospectively collected standard CSF analysis and flow cytometry data of CSF and blood in patients with cryptococcal meningitis (n=7) and compared them to immunocompromised patients without meningitis (n=13) and healthy controls (n=7). Flow cytometry analysis revealed an elevation of natural killer cells in the CSF of CC patients. Follow-up CSF analysis over up to 150 days showed heterogeneous and slow normalization of CSF after induction of antifungal therapy. Flow cytometry of blood and CSF may thus aid the diagnosis and follow-up of CC patients.