The most common organism among the following that causes acute meningitis in an AIDS patient is: (A) Streptococcus pneumoniae, (B) Streptococcus agalactiae, (C) Cryptococcus neoformans, (D) Listeria monocytogenes
Answer is C. Cryptococcosis occurs worldwide since the fungus is soil saprophyte and is the commonest systemic mycosis in India. Cryptococcal meningitis is the most serious type of cryptococcal infection seen in AIDS patients compared to others. Ref: Textbook of Microbiology, Ananthanarayan and Paniker; 9th edition