[Cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans var. Gattii. A case associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Kinshasa, Zaire].

Since the introduction of AIDS, the biovar neoformans of Cryptococcus neoformans has replaced the biovar gattii as the predominant agent of cryptococcal meningitis in Kinshasa and in other tropical areas. That this is not an absolute rule is demonstrated by the present case of a HIV-positive patient, observed at the Kinshasa University Hospital, with cryptococcal meningitis due to the biovar gattii. Only four cases of this association have been published before. The authors conclude that both biovars are capable of infecting HIV-positive patients but that the apparent decline of the biovar gattii is related to the rarity of its natural reservoir in the urban environment, where the AIDS epidemic is concentrated.