Fine-needle aspiration diagnosis of primary cutaneous cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent patient: A case report

Abstract

We report a case of a primary cutaneous cryptococcosis (PCC) in immunocompetent man diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and confirmed by special stains and culture study. The patient presented with a 2-wk history of two separate skin nodules over the forehead and the left lumbar region. FNA smears revealed a necrotizing suppurative granulomatous inflammation with numerous yeasts of Cryptococcus surrounded by clear halos, which were present within multinucleated giant cells and in the intercellular spaces. This was confirmed subsequently by special stains and a culture of the aspirated material. This case report reemphasizes the role of FNA as a useful modality in the early diagnosis of cutaneous cryptococcosis, especially in clinically unsuspected cases.