Fungal meningitis
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis
Common causes of fungal meningitis include:
- Cryptococcus neoformans – Found worldwide in soil and bird excrement. Typically affects immunocompromised patients such as those with HIV, organ transplantation, or cancer.
- Histoplasma capsulatum – Endemic to the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and parts of Central and South America. Also more common in immunocompromised patients.
- Coccidioides immitis – Endemic to the desert southwestern US, northern Mexico, and Argentina. May be an indolent infection and prominently has pulmonary infections.
- Candida albicans – Often occurs due to disseminated spread of infection, and most common in neonates.
Codes
ICD10CM:G02 – Meningitis in other infectious and parasitic diseases classified elsewhere
SNOMEDCT:
24321005 – Fungal meningitis
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Bacterial meningitis
- Viral meningitis
- Carcinomatous meningitis
- Encephalitis, eg, herpes simplex virus encephalitis, anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
- Neurosarcoidosis
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Brain tumor
- Brain abscess
- Stroke
- Vasculitis
- Venous sinus thrombosis
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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References
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Last Reviewed: 01/03/2019
Last Updated: 02/11/2019
Last Updated: 02/11/2019
Fungal meningitis
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