Cryptococcal infective endocarditis in a child with acute lymphocytic leukaemia.

A 4-year-old boy with acute lymphocytic leukaemia presented with left hemiplegia during chemotherapy. Computed tomography revealed cerebral infarction, and an echocardiogram showed vegetation in the right and left ventricles. Despite antifungal therapy, he experienced another stroke; and 9 days after the first stroke, he underwent total extirpation of the vegetative nodules and fragile vegetation. The postoperative course was unremarkable with no recurrence of infective endocarditis. Although a bacterial culture of the vegetation could not identify the presence of any organism, a pathological specimen examination revealed Cryptococcus with a round and mucinous capsule.