TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Amebic Meningoencephalitis A1 - Cope, Jennifer R. A1 - Ali, Ibne K. A2 - Boulton, Matthew L. A2 - Wallace, Robert B. PY - 2022 T2 - Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health & Preventive Medicine, 16e AB - Amebic meningoencephalitis is a rare clinical syndrome caused by acquisition of free-living amebae from the environment. Naegleria fowleri causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in otherwise healthy individuals; infection with Acanthamoeba spp. is manifest as a subacute granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) in patients with serious underlying diseases. Balamuthia mandrillaris can also cause GAE in both healthy and immunocompromised patients (Table 118-1). Clinicians must be familiar with the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of amebic meningoencephalitis to avoid overlooking this infection in the differential diagnosis of patients at risk, despite its low incidence. Diagnosis ultimately rests on detecting amebae in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), brain, or other affected tissue. Frequently the diagnosis is not made until postmortem examination. Unfortunately, mortality is high for these infections, even when the diagnosis is made premortem and treatment is initiated. SN - PB - McGraw Hill CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182665528 ER -