Fatal<i>Naegleria fowleri</i>Meningoencephalitis, Italy

Cogo, Paola; Scaglia, M.; Gatti, S.; Rossetti, Francesco; Alaggio, Rita; Laverda, Anna Maria; Zhou, Ling; Xiao, Lihua; Visvesvara, Govinda S.

doi:10.3201/eid1010.040273

Cited by 63 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Almost all of the cases have been mainly reported from the USA and Europe; however, the disease has spread to all of the continents except Antarctica (Valenzuela et al, 1984;LaresVilla et al, 1993;Cogo et al, 2004;Cubero-Men endez & Cubero-Rego, 2004;Hara & Fukuma, 2005;Jaffar-Bandjee et al, 2005;De Jonckheere, 2011;Siddiqui & Khan, 2014). The first case in Mexico was reported in 1989 in Baja California (López-Corella et al, 1989).…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Naegleria fowleri after 50 years: is it a neglected pathogen?

Martínez-Castillo

Cardenas-Zuniga

Coronado-Velázquez

et al. 2016

Journal of Medical Microbiology

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It has been 50 years since the first case of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an acute and rapidly fatal disease of the central nervous system (CNS), was reported in Australia. It is now known that the aetiological agent of PAM is Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that is commonly known as 'the brain-eating amoeba'. N. fowleri infects humans of different ages who are in contact with water contaminated with this micro-organism. N. fowleri is distributed worldwide and is found growing in bodies of freshwater in tropical and subtropical environments. The number of PAM cases has recently increased, and the rate of recovery from PAM has been estimated at only 5 %. Amphotericin B has been used to treat patients with PAM. However, it is important to note that there is no specific treatment for PAM. Moreover, this amoeba is considered a neglected microorganism. Researchers have exerted great effort to design effective drugs to treat PAM and to understand the pathogenesis of PAM over the past 50 years, such as its pathology, molecular and cellular biology, diagnosis and prevention, and its biological implications, including its pathogenic genotypes, its distribution and its ecology. Given the rapid progression of PAM and its high mortality rate, it is important that investigations continue and that researchers collaborate to gain better understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease and, consequently, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this devastating infection of the CNS.

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Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Naegleria fowleri after 50 years: is it a neglected pathogen?

Martínez-Castillo

Cardenas-Zuniga

Coronado-Velázquez

et al. 2016

Journal of Medical Microbiology

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“…Similarly to B. mandrillaris, N. fowleri infections are associated with healthy ICT persons, often children (111,128,258,410,517), rather than IC patients (60). In contrast to other free-living amoebae, N. fowleri infections are restricted to the CNS (60).…”

Section: Naegleria Fowlerimentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of Nonenteric Protozoan Infections in Immunocompromised People

et al. 2010

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SUMMARY There are many neglected nonenteric protozoa able to cause serious morbidity and mortality in humans, particularly in the developing world. Diseases caused by certain protozoa are often more severe in the presence of HIV. While information regarding neglected tropical diseases caused by trypanosomatids and Plasmodium is abundant, these protozoa are often not a first consideration in Western countries where they are not endemic. As such, diagnostics may not be available in these regions. Due to global travel and immigration, this has become an increasing problem. Inversely, in certain parts of the world (particularly sub-Saharan Africa), the HIV problem is so severe that diseases like microsporidiosis and toxoplasmosis are common. In Western countries, due to the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), these diseases are infrequently encountered. While free-living amoebae are rarely encountered in a clinical setting, when infections do occur, they are often fatal. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are essential to the survival of patients infected with these organisms. This paper reviews information on the diagnosis and treatment of nonenteric protozoal diseases in immunocompromised people, with a focus on patients infected with HIV. The nonenteric microsporidia, some trypanosomatids, Toxoplasma spp., Neospora spp., some free-living amoebae, Plasmodium spp., and Babesia spp. are discussed.

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“…An indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIF) for the recognition of N. fowleri antigen in paraffin-embedded brain tissue slide is routinely performed at Centers for Disease Control. Additionally, PCR-based assays have been established for the sensitive, rapid, and precise identification of N. fowleri in clinical samples, and cultured amoebae from patients and the environment (14,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35) (Table 1).…”

Section: Clinical and Laboratory Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Biology and pathogenesis of Naegleria fowleri

et al. 2016

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2 SummaryNaegleria fowleri is a protist pathogen that can cause lethal brain infection. Despite decades of research, the mortality rate related with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis owing to N. fowleri remains more than 90%. The amoebae pass through the nose to enter the central nervous system killing the host within days, making it one of the deadliest opportunistic parasites. Accordingly, we present an up to date review of the biology and pathogenesis of N.fowleri and discuss needs for future research against this fatal infection.

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FatalNaegleria fowleriMeningoencephalitis, Italy

Cited by 63 publications

References 5 publications

Naegleria fowleri after 50 years: is it a neglected pathogen?

Naegleria fowleri after 50 years: is it a neglected pathogen?

Importance of Nonenteric Protozoan Infections in Immunocompromised People

Biology and pathogenesis of Naegleria fowleri

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