A 29-Year-Old Patient with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)is Suspected of Having

A 29-year-old patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is suspected of having a Cryptococcus neoformans infection in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) .A CSF specimen is collected and set up on cycloheximide agar.In addition, an India ink stain is set up.The India ink stain reveals encapsulated yeast; however, 3 weeks later, the cycloheximide agar is negative.Which one of the following statements explains this discrepancy?

A) The India ink result is most likely false positive.
B) The ingredients in the cycloheximide agar most likely inhibited the growth of the organism.
C) C. neoformans is rarely recovered from CSF; therefore the cycloheximide result is accurate.
D) The India ink stain is most likely contaminated.