Progressive Cytopenia Developing during Treatment of Cryptococcosis in a Patient with HIV Infection and Bone Marrow Cryptococcal Infection

Abstract

Cytopenia is a common complication in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Identifying the cause is demanding because of the wide range of possible diagnoses. We herein report an HIV-infected patient with disseminated cryptococcosis involving multiple organs including the blood, brain, lungs, and bone marrow, who developed progressive pancytopenia after initiation of anti-fungal treatment with liposomal amphotericin-B (L-AMB) and flucytosine (5FC). The pancytopenia persisted despite early 5 FC discontinuation. A bone marrow biopsy revealed cryptococcal infiltration and the blood examination findings recovered quickly after resuming L-AMB. Thus, this HIV-infected patient's pathological findings and clinical course suggested that the primary cause of the pancytopenia was bone marrow cryptococcosis.