Pubis Cryptococcal Osteomyelitis in an Immunocompetent Patient: A Case Report and Recent Literature Review

AIM: Skeletal involvement of Cryptococcus neoformans is rare and normally associated with disseminated cryptococcosis or potential predisposing factors. Here, we report an atypical case of osteoarticular cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent patient. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of cryptococcal osteomyelitis in a 45-year-old female who presented with swelling and pain in the left inner thigh. After a biopsy of the pubic bone and surrounding soft tissue, the pathological results and bacterial culture of the biopsy tissue confirmed Cryptococcus neoformans infection. After draining the pus by aspiration and administering oral fluconazole (400 mg/d) treatment, the patient’s symptoms disappeared. CONCLUSION: Cryptococcus neoformans is a rare etiology of infection of the entire pubis, and oral fluconazole and pus aspiration could benefit some cryptococcal osteomyelitis patients with soft-tissue cryptococcal infection.