Criptococose: uma revisão

Abstract

The cryptococcosis is a human disease whose etiologic agent is the gender Cryptococcus, represented by two pathogenic species Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. The first specie, even it has a cosmopolitan distribution, frequently affects more the immunosuppressed individuals; and the second specie is more common in tropical and subtropical areas, affecting immunocompetent individuals. The disease transmission occurs by inhaling fungal cells, being the lung (due to the entrance door) and the Central Nervous System (due to the agents neurotropism) the more compromised organs. However, the disease also leads to clinical manifestations in other organs as a result of blood-lymphatic spreading. At first, the infection is limited to the respiratory system, and may be acute, subacute and chronic. Lately, it can spread to the central nervous system and cause the neurocryptococcosis. In human tissues,fungal cell is presented as a yeast encapsulated, a distinctive condition when compared to other pathogenic yeasts. The diagnosis includes clinical evaluation and confirmation by laboratory testing. In recent years, the number of cryptococcosis diagnosis has increased due to: immunosuppressive therapy, HIV-positive individuals lifes expectation augment and solid organ transplanted patients, constituting these last two cases the systemic fungal infections with higher rates of morbidity and mortality.