What is a common cause of opportunistic infections in AIDS patients?

Cryptococcus neoformans is indeed a common cause of opportunistic infections in patients with AIDS. This fungus is particularly noted for its ability to cause severe illnesses, including cryptococcal meningitis, in immunocompromised individuals. In people with HIV/AIDS, CD4+ T-cell counts typically drop below 200 cells/mm³, which significantly increases susceptibility to this organism.

Cryptococcus neoformans is widely found in the environment, especially in soil and associated with decaying organic matter, and it can be inhaled as spores. In patients with a compromised immune system, such as those with AIDS, the body struggles to mount an effective immune response to this pathogen, leading to the potential for serious infections.

In contrast, the other organisms listed are less commonly associated specifically with opportunistic infections in AIDS patients. Clostridium difficile is more often linked to antibiotic-associated colitis, Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of skin and soft tissue infections and is not specific to immunocompromised states, and Salmonella typhi is the causative agent of typhoid fever, which is primarily a waterborne disease and less associated with the opportunistic infection profile seen in AIDS. Thus, the prominence of Cryptococcus neoformans