• Local Health Jurisdictions

• Notifiable Conditions Reporting Numbers

• Reporting Forms and Guidelines

• Disease Surveillance Data

• Glossary

• Legal Requirements

• EpiTrends

• Notifiable Conditions & the Health Care ProviderPDF, 97KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Health Care Facility(PDF, 104KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Laboratory (PDF, 55KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Local Health Jurisdiction  (PDF, 44KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Veterinarian(PDF, 60KB)

• Communicable Disease Epidemiology

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Cause: Fungus Cryptococcus. Notifiable condition surveillance is only for C. gattii.

Illness and treatment: Symptoms include severe cough with shortness of breath, chills, night sweats, and loss of appetite. Typical presentations are meningitis and pneumonia. Infection of the kidneys, prostate, and bone may also occur. Treatment is with antifungals.

Sources: C. gattii is an environmental fungus that has been isolated from native trees, soil, and air in the Pacific Northwest. Exposure is through inhalation of the organism.

Prevention: There are no specific precautions.

Recent Washington trends: Since 2004 more than 20 animals, including porpoises, cats, dogs, and a bird, have tested positive in Washington. C. gattii was found in soil from Whatcom County. Since 2006, 1–7 human cases are reported each year, some with presumed in-state exposure.

2010: Four cases were reported from Thurston and Whatcom counties. One case was likely exposed in Washington given no travel to other known endemic areas. The other 3 had visited either British Columbia (mainland) or Oregon during the exposure period, but in-state exposure could not be ruled out.

Purpose of Reporting and Surveillance

• To detect the emergence of Cryptococcus gattii in Washington
• To improve the number of suspected cases that are laboratory confirmed
• To monitor trends in the epidemiology of cryptococcal disease due to C. gattii

Legal Reporting Requirements

Human or animal infections with C. gattii  are reportable in Washington State as rare diseases of public health significance.

• Health care providers: C. gattii infections notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours
• Health care facilities: C. gattii infections notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours
• Laboratories: Cryptococcus non neoformans notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours; specimen submission required – cultures (2 business days); other specimens upon request
• Veterinarians: Suspected human cases notifiable within 24 hours to the local health jurisdiction; animal cases notifiable to Washington State Department of Agriculture (see: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=16-70)
• Local health jurisdictions: notifiable to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Communicable Disease Epidemiology (CDE) within 7 days of case investigation completion or summary information required within 21 days

Last update
December 2011