title: Meningoencephalitis by Naegleria fowleri: epidemiological study in Anzoategui state, Venezuela.
abstract: A case of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis produced by Naegleria fowleri was diagnosed in the Independencia county of Anzoategui State, Venezuela. This case motivated the realization of the present epidemiological study with the aim of identifying free-living amoebae in this area. Representative water samples were taken and physicochemical and microbiologic analyses were carried out. Trophozoites and cysts of Naegleria spp, were detected in 44.4% (n=4). An excellent concordance was found among the observations of free-living amoebae in smears and those of monoxenic cultures in non-nourishing agar with Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kappa=1; p= 0.003). A variable load of aerobic mesophils was obtained. Moulds and yeast averages presented 3.0 CFU/ml (SD +/- 2.0) and 102.9 CFU/ml (SD +/- 32.2), respectively. One hundred per cent of the samples presented a most probable number of total and fecal coliforms of 240,000 NMP/100mL. Naegleria spp was present in waters of the Independence county of Anzoategui state, which constitutes a risk for people that use these sources.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología y Microbiología, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Oriente, Núcleo Bolívar, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Julman R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cermeño
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Helal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: El Yasin
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tinedo
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Gladys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Rosalía
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gravano
authors.forename: Aida
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruiz
mesh_terms: D000562:Amebiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D002648:Child; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D016848:Naegleria fowleri / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014687:Venezuela