Treating disseminated cryptococcosis in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is challenging due to the limited availability of effective antifungals. Although isavuconazole has antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, clinical evidence is sparse because this new drug has not been approved for the treatment of cryptococcosis in the US or Europe. Here, we report a case of HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis that relapsed during maintenance therapy with fluconazole. A Japanese man in his 20s was diagnosed with HIV-1 infection and cryptococcal meningitis. The patient was intolerant to flucytosine and was treated with liposomal amphotericin B monotherapy for 2 weeks as induction therapy, followed by fluconazole (400 mg/day) for 3 months as consolidation therapy. Four months after starting maintenance therapy with fluconazole (200 mg/day), the patient presented with fever and cough, leading to readmission to our hospital. Biopsies of a nodule in the left lung and a left cervical lymph node led to the diagnosis of disseminated cryptococcosis (pulmonary cryptococcosis and cryptococcal lymphadenitis). Although a combination of fluconazole and liposomal amphotericin B was ineffective, the patient was successfully treated with an induction therapy combining isavuconazole and liposomal amphotericin B, followed by a maintenance therapy with isavuconazole. The patient received isavuconazole orally except for loading doses, achieving stable blood concentration levels. Moreover, we observed that blood levels of amphotericin B increased gradually with repeated administration. Therefore, isavuconazole may have a potential role in the treatment of cryptococcosis, and clinical trials involving larger numbers of cases are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety.
Keywords: Cryptococcus neoformans; Human immunodeficiency virus; Isavuconazole; Liposomal amphotericin B.
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