Cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitous saprophytic fungus with worldwide distribution. It
has been found in nature, primarily in association with bird droppings, but nonavian sources
have been described as well (10). Although the lungs are thought to be the portal of entry for
cryptococcus, pulmonary infection is uncommon. The organism is trophic to the central
nervous system and the vast majority of recognized infections involve meningitis. Before the
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic (1980), cryptococcosis was a rare …