Disseminated Balamuthia mandrillaris amoeba infection in an AIDS patient from Brazil.
This report describes a 32-year-old male AIDS patient. He presented with a clinical picture characterized by severe headache, blurred vision, and fever that had lasted for 10 days. At admission, no remarkable neurologic abnormalities were observed. Cranial tomography showed a ring-enhanced lesion with edema and a mass effect in the right occipital lobe. The initial diagnosis was toxoplasmosis, and treatment of this was administered. However, 5 days later, the patient's clinical status worsened and he died. The necropsy showed necrotizing and hemorrhagic encephalitis, with trophozoites similar to an amoeba species. Furthermore, the kidneys, adrenal glands, thyroid gland, and liver were also involved. The amoeba Balamuthia mandrillaris was identified by an immunofluorescence test.
Silva-Vergara
Mario León
ML
Department of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of the Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil. marioleon.dip@mednet.com.br
Da Cunha Colombo
Eduardo Rodrigues
ER
De Figueiredo Vissotto
Eduardo
E
Silva
Ana Cristina Araújo Lemos
AC
Chica
Javier Emilio Lazo
JE
Etchebehere
Renata Margarida
RM
Adad
Sheila Jorge
SJ
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000469:parasitology; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D001938:Brazil; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D016840:Lobosea / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan