Table 2.
Characteristics of patients with aspergillus meningitis.
| Immunocompetent patients, n = 52 (%) | Immunocompromised patients, n = 41 (%) | Total, n = 93 (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years median (range) | 34.5 (3–73) | 39 (4–75) | 37 (3–75) |
| Sex, female (%) | 34 (65.4) | 15/40 (37.5) | 49/92 (53.3) |
| Diagnosis during life | 36/52 (69.2) | 16/41 (39) | 52/93 (55.9) |
| Death after diagnosis in life | 18/36 (50.0) | 9/16 (56.3) | 27/54 (50.0) |
| Total deaths | 33/52 (63.5) | 34/41 (82.9) | 67/93 (72.1) |
| Clinical picture | |||
| Meningitis | 27 (51.9)a | 19 (46.3) | 46 (49.5) |
| Meningoencephalitis | 10 (19.2) | 13 (31.7) | 23 (24.7) |
| Chronic meningitis/pachimeningitis | 8 (15.4)b | 7 (17.1) | 15 (16.1) |
| Spinal arachnoiditis | 5 (9.6)c | −(0.0) | 5 (5.4) |
| Ventriculitis | 2 (3.8) | 2 (4.9) d | 4 (4.3) |
| CSF characteristics | |||
| Positive culture | 17/46 (36.9) | 4/22 (18.2) | 21/68 (30.9) |
| Positive PCR | 3/3 (100) | 3/3 (100) | 6/6 (100) |
| Median WBCs/μL (range) | 640 (5–8800) | 988 (0–4100) | 678 (0–8800) |
| Neutrophils predominance (≥60%) | 25/37 (67.6) | 14/20 (70) | 39/57 (68.4) |
| Hypoglicorrachia | 9/14 (64.3) | 1/2 (50) | 10/16 (62.5) |
| Median glucose level (mg/dL) | 30 (1–77) | 33 (0–102) | 32.5 (0–102) |
| Glucose ≤ 25 mg/dl | 16/39 (41.1) | 4/17 (23.5) | 20/56 (35.7) |
| Median protein level (range) (mg/L) | 995 (100–7900) | 1090 (180–7300) | 1007 (100–7900) |
| Median galactomannan antigen (range) | 7.05 (5.5–10.4) | 4.58 (2.2–578) | 6.58 (2.2–578) |
| Positive | 6/8 (75) | 7/7 (100) | 13/15 (86.7) |
a
1 patient also had empyema,1 abscess, 1 spinal arachnoiditis.
b
1 patient had concomitant ventriculitis + arachnoiditis.
c
1 patient had concomitant subdural abscess.
d
1 patient had concomitant multiple abscess.