Cryptococcosis and What This Fungal Infection Means

What do we mean by Cryptococcosis? Cryptococcosis is a fungal disease that can be life-threatening, and potentially fatal. This fungus type is found in the soils all over the world. It is connected with the droppings from birds most commonly. The species that is known as Cryptococcus is what is most contracted by people. There is a another species not quite as common known as Cryptococcus gatti that might also affect people. C.gatti has been located in regions in the Pacific.

Cryptococcosis is not caught from person to person contact. It is mainly an fungal illness that is airborne. So you get it simply by breathing in places where there is fungi that is in the air. People that have AIDS or HIV are much more susceptible to getting it since the immune systems are compromised. So any other illness besides either HIV or AIDS which compromises the immune system, puts a person at higher risk.

Cryptococcosis infection types seem to cause an illness with pneumonia type symptoms. If you have contracted this illness, you would probably feel or have, (1) shortness of breath, (2) skin lesions possibly, (3) fevers,and (4) a lot of coughing.

There is yet another type of Cryptococcal infection that affects the central nervous system. If you have a compromised immune system the way I mentioned above, you'll have nervous system symptoms. These nervous system types of symptoms are those such as, (1) bad headache, (2) fever, and (3) delirium. They are a lot like those symptoms of meningitis.

Incubation for the onset of this illness after you have been exposed can be anywhere from 2 months right up to almost a full year at 11 months.

If you have these symptoms of any cryptococcosis infections, see you doctor for a diagnosis. The diagnosis involves a blood test for cryptococcal antigens in the blood. Other examinations might involve looking at sputum, but the blood test is the real accurate key to whether or not you have this fungus.

Once found, some very aggressive treatments will need to be done. That means hospitalization for a bit to get the intravenous drugs needed. This includes intravenous drug Amphotericin B along with the pill form of Flucytosine given.

To prevent any form of Cryptococcosis at all, you should be sure to practice caution and wear a mask over your face when going to an area where there are birds and bird droppings as a result. Do this if you have a compromised immune system in any way. The mask will protect you from breathing in germs of this fungus type.