An autopsy case of disseminated cryptococcosis manifesting as acute diarrhea in a patient with primary biliary cirrhosis.

A 58-year-old woman with an 18-year history of primary biliary cirrhosis was admitted because of pneumococcal pneumonia. She was treated with antibiotics and mechanical ventilation. After the pneumonia improved, she developed severe watery diarrhea. Although vancomycin was administered enterally, the diarrhea persisted. She died of multiple organ failure within 16 days of the onset of diarrhea. An autopsy showed intracapillary cryptococci in the systemic organs, especially in the intestinal tract. The cause of diarrhea was considered to be extensive intestinal mucosal necrosis due to disseminated cryptococcosis. This is a rare case of cryptococcal infection manifesting as acute diarrhea.