title: Is Balamuthia mandrillaris a public health concern worldwide?
abstract: Balamuthia mandrillaris is an opportunistic, free-living amoeba that can cause skin lesions and the typically fatal Balamuthia amoebic encephalitis (BAE) both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. Available data for BAE cases indicate that this disease is difficult to detect because knowledge of predisposing factors is lacking, causing a challenge for diagnosing BAE. The number of reported BAE cases is increasing worldwide, and this is a major concern because little is known about the pathogen, no standardized detection tools are available, and most of the treatments are almost empirical. The recently reported cases, novel diagnostics tools, and successful therapeutic approaches against BAE infections are reviewed here.
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of The Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez SN, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Electronic address: jmlorenz@ull.edu.es.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lorenzo-Morales
authors.forename: Alfonso Martín
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cabello-Vílchez
authors.forename: Carmen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Martín-Navarro
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez-Carretero
authors.forename: José E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Piñero
authors.forename: Basilio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Valladares
mesh_terms: D000562:Amebiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission; D056894:Amoebozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D011634:Public Health / Q000639:trends
keywords: Balamuthia mandrillaris; emerging pathogen; encephalitis; skin