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
Look For
Subscription Required
Diagnostic Pearls
Subscription Required
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
Best Tests
Subscription Required
Management Pearls
Subscription Required
Therapy
Subscription Required
References
Subscription Required
Last Reviewed:01/03/2019
Last Updated:02/11/2019
Last Updated:02/11/2019