Cryptococcal meningitis relapse dangerous in AIDS patients. (Focus on Fungal Infections Conference)

DATELINE: Focus on Fungal Infections Conference

Despite improving treatments against cryptococcal meningitis, one-fifth of all patients with AIDS who contract the fungal infection eventually die from it, according to a presentation at the Focus on Fungal Infections conference held in Phoenix, Arizona on February 21-22.

Even patients who complete initial therapy and show no positive cultures are in danger of relapse, said William Powderly, M.D., of Washington University in St. Louis. "We simply do not have disease-free survival yet."

Maintenance therapy with fluconazole is the best choice to prevent relapse rates that range from 30 to 60 percent …