identification of Cryptococcus neoformans in cytologic preparations of cerebrospinal fluid.

Review of routine Papanicolaou-stained cerebrospinal fluid preparations from 13 patients who had meningeal cryptococcosis documented by other methods demonstrated the yeast in 11 cases. Special stains greatly facilitated the detection of the organisms in two samples and discriminated them from artifacts. An increased number of cells was present in nine cases. Correlation with the clinical data revealed that every patient but one had a malignant lymphoma, most commonly Hodgkin's disease. The exception was a patient who had disseminated carcinoma of the breast treated with adrenal corticosteroids. The clinical history and the cellularity of the smear should alert one to the possibility of cryptococcosis.