Fungal Meningitis rarely has a cure and the mortality rate is high, with up to 90% of cases in non-cryptococcal meningitis. People with fungal meningitis caused by Cryptococcus usually need lifelong treatment (chronic meningitis).
The treatment of fungal meningitis is done mainly with the antifungal medicine amphotericin B. However, other antifungals may be included in treatment, such as flucytosine, miconazole, ketoconazole and fluconazole.
The course of the disease and the severity of the symptoms depend on the patient's immune status. In the case of cryptococcal meningitis, the progression of the picture may be slow and last for months or years, as it can be fulminating or lead to death in just 2 weeks.
Fungal meningitis can be chronic due to the continuous inflammatory process of the meninges (membrane that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord), being able to cause serious complications, such as hydrocephalus and interruption of cerebral blood flow.
Fungal meningitis is more rare than viral and bacterial meningitis, and is more common in immunosuppressed patients, as in cases of AIDS and cancer, for example.
Unlike viral and bacterial meningitis, fungal meningitis it is not contagious, that is, it is not transmitted from person to person.
Learn more at: Is Meningitis Contagious? How does transmission occur?
The main fungi that cause meningitis are Cryptococcus it's the Coccidioides. Other fungal agents that can also cause the disease include Candida, Aspergillus, Histoplasma, Blatomyces and Mucor.
The infectious and neurologist doctors are responsible for the treatment of fungal meningitis.
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