Document Type

Article

Embargo Period

3-1-2007

Publication Date

3-1-2007

Abstract

Variables influencing the risk of dissemination and outcome of Cryptococcus neoformans infection were assessed in 111 organ transplant recipients with cryptococcosis in a prospective, multicenter, international study. Sixty-one percent (68/111) of the patients had disseminated infection. The risk of disseminated cryptococcosis was significantly higher for liver transplant recipients (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 6.65; P= .048). The overall mortality rate at 90 days was 14% (16/111). The mortality rate was higher in patients with abnormal mental status (P = .023), renal failure at baseline (P = .028), fungemia (P = .006), and disseminated infection (P = .035) and was lower in those receiving a calcineurin-inhibitor agent (P = .003). In a multivariable analysis, the receipt of a calcineurin-inhibitor agent was independently associated with a lower mortality (adjusted HR, 0.21; P = .008), and renal failure at baseline with a higher mortality rate (adjusted HR, 3.14; P = .037). Thus, outcome in transplant recipients with cryptococcosis appears to be influenced by the type of immunosuppressive agent employed. Additionally, discerning the basis for transplant type–specific differences in disease severity has implications relevant for yielding further insights into the pathogenesis of C. neoformans infection in transplant recipients.

Journal

Journal of Infectious Diseases

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1086/511438

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