A young, unmarried, immunocompetent female presented with complaints of fever and altered sensorium, along with lesions over the face and trunk. A provisional diagnosis of disseminated herpes simplex with giant molluscum contagiosum was made. However, cutaneous biopsy of the lesions showed numerous cryptococcal organisms which stained positive to periodic acid-Schiff. This case is reported to sensitise physicians to keep cryptococcosis as a differential diagnosis in such types of skin lesions, as the lesions resemble that of molluscum contagiosum very closely.
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BennettJE. Cryptococcosis. In: KasperDL, BraunwaldE, FauciAS, HauserSL, LongoDL, JamesonL, eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 16th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill, McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division, 2005:1183–5
5.
PappasPG, PerfectJR, CloudGA, Cryptococcosis in human immununodeficiency virus-negative patients in the era of effective azole therapy. Clin Infect Dis2001;33:690–9
