Imitating Shadows: Pulmonary Cryptococcosis Masquerading as Miliary Tuberculosis—A Rare Case

A BSTRACT Cryptococcosis, an invasive mycosis caused by basidiomycetous yeasts of the Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii species complexes, is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality. Due to the low specificity of the imaging presentation of pulmonary cryptococcosis and the limited methods of pathogenic detection, there is a high prevalence of clinical misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. Symptoms and radiologic findings of pulmonary cryptococcosis are non-specific. It is difficult to distinguish pulmonary cryptococcosis from other illnesses because its imaging presentation overlaps with lung cancer, tuberculosis (TB), bacterial pneumonia, and other pulmonary fungal disorders. Here, we present a unique case of pulmonary cryptococcosis mimicking miliary TB.