ArticleBMC infectious diseases2026
India ink-negative and culture-negative cryptococcal meningitis in HIV-negative patients.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe clinical features of India ink-negative and culture-negative cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in HIV-negative patients remain unclear.
methodsA total of 395 antifungal-naïve HIV-negative CM patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. The 90-day poor outcome and associated risk factors were compared between patients with positive and negative India ink, and those with positive and negative culture in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
resultsIndia ink-negative patients had a high level of glucose [mmol/L; 2.6 ± 1.5 vs. 2.1 ± 1.4, P = 0.005], total protein level [g/L; 1.1 (0.7–1.8) vs. 0.9 (0.6–1.2), P = 0.002] and WBC count [×106/L; 121.9 (36.5–210.0) vs. 67.5 (18.0-140.0), P = 0.001] in CSF but lower intracranial pressure (ICP) (mmH2O; 185.0 (130.0-250.0) vs. 270.0 (191.0-397.5), P < 0.001) at the time of CM diagnosis. Culture-negative patients showed a high CSF glucose level (mmol/L; 2.9 ± 1.6 vs. 2.1 ± 1.3, P < 0.001) and low ICP [mmH2O; 215.0 (150.0-277.3) vs. 250.0 (180.0-360.0), P = 0.006]. The 90-day poor outcome was 9.3% for India ink-negative patients, 24.5% for India ink-positive patients (log-rank P = 0.003), 21.7% for culture-negative patients and 19.8% for culture-positive patients (log-rank P = 0.579). ICP ≥ 300.0 mmH2O [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) (95% confidence interval): 4.6 (1.0-20.7), P = 0.045] and not going CrAg Assay [AOR:4.4(1.0-18.4), P = 0.045] were independent risk factors for India ink-negative patients. Low CSF count (< 20.0 × 106/L) [AOR: 2.7 (1.0-7.2), P = 0.047] and and positive India ink [AOR:5.3(1.2–23.5), P = 0.028] were independent risk factors for 90-day poor outcome in culture negative patients.
conclusionsIndia ink-/culture-negative CM patients had mild CSF profile changes. The CrAg assay was associated with an increased survival rate of India ink- negative CM patients and positive India ink was associated with poor outcome of culture-negative CM patients. The mortality of patients with a positive India ink was significantly increased.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.