Granulomatous amebic encephalitis in a multivisceral transplant recipient.
A 40-year-old man with multivisceral allograft developed acutely right-sided numbness 9 months after transplantation. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a small left parietal lesion, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis was unremarkable. Stereotactic brain biopsy was non-diagnostic. The patient continued to deteriorate, developed cerebral edema and died at 13 days after the onset of symptoms. Unexpectedly, autopsy demonstrated acanthamebic encephalitis. This case highlights diagnostic difficulties encountered with amebic encephalitis and expands the spectrum of opportunistic central nervous system (CNS) infections in solid and visceral organ transplant recipients.
Mendez
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Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. mendezo@upmc.edu
Kanal
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Abu-Elmagd
K M
KM
McFadden
K
K
Thomas
S
S
Bond
G
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Zivković
S A
SA
D000328:Adult; D000562:Amebiasis; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D005736:Gardner Syndrome / Q000601:surgery; D006099:Granuloma / Q000209:etiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods