Lethal encounters: The evolving spectrum of amoebic meningoencephalitis.

The free-living amoebae are thermophilic organisms that may play an increasing role among diseases of a warming world. They are uncommon, accidental, yet high consequence pathogens, with differing pathologic syndromes. New prospects for diagnosis and life-saving treatment make early disease recognition imperative. We review the three most commonly diagnosed species that infect humans: Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba species, and Balamuthia mandrillaris.

Disseminated Acanthamoeba sinusitis in a patient with AIDS: a possible role for early antiretroviral therapy.

Acanthamoeba, a free-living ameba, has been reported to infect humans with subacute encephalitis, sinusitis, or keratitis. Multiple cases of Acanthamoeba sinusitis with dissemination have been reported in association with AIDS, with high mortality. We report successful treatment of a 35-year-old woman who presented with sinusitis that progressed to disseminated acanthamebiasis as her initial manifestation of AIDS. To our knowledge, our patient was one of the few and longest-lived survivors of disseminated Acanthamoeba infection with AIDS. As with other opportunistic infections, early aggressive therapy including HAART may alter the outcome in this almost uniformly fatal disease.