CRYPTOCOCCAL MENINGITIS WITH MALARIA - A CASE REPORT

Cryptococcal meningitis is an uncommon infection globally, including N igeria. This systemic fungal infection often is associated with immuno deficiency. The most common causes of meningitis in Nigeria in the 2-3 year age group are the malaria parasites and bacteria. The concomitta nt infections of Cryptococcal neoformans and Plasmodium falciparum are uncommon. We present here the report of a case of fatal cryptococcal meningitis with malaria infection in a 2 year old child from Nigeria ( one of the malaria endemic regions of the world). This case emphasizes the importance of doing a combination of fungal and bacterial culture s as well as looking for malarial parasites in the determination of et iological agents of meningitis in any hospital in Africa. We suggest t hat cerebrospinal fluid from meningitis cases must be cultured using S abouraud dextrose agar and any growth on the agar must be examined usi ng Indian ink.