A Case of Disseminated Cryptococcosis with Skin Involvement in a Rheumatic Arthritis Patient During Long-term Tacrolimus Therapy / 대한의진균학회지

ABSTRACT

Cryptococcosis is the infection caused by the encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus species, occuring most frequently in immunocompromised hosts. Cutaneous cryptococcosis occurs in 10~15% of disseminated cases and its clinical manifestation is variable. The patient was a 73-year-old female, who had been taking a tacrolimus 3 mg/day for 2 years due to rheumatic arthritis. She had an erythematous ulcerated lesion with elevated border on right shoulder and left back, and painful subcutaneous nodules on left chest. Histopathologic examination of skin showed typical spores with capsules in dermis and chest X-ray showed fungal ball in lung. She was successfully treated by systemic amphotericin B and fluconazole. Herein, we report a case of disseminated cryptococcosis with skin involvement during long-term tacrolimus therapy.