Balamuthia mandrillarisexhibits metalloprotease activities

Balamuthia Amebic Encephalitis

test; bioMérieux). DNA was extracted from cultures grown on agar plates and amplified following a previously described protocol (1). The following oligonucleotide primer sequences were used: luk-PV1, 5′-ATCATTAGGTAAAATGTCTGGACATGATCCA-3′; luk-PV2, 5′-GCATCAAGTGTAT T G G ATA G C A A A A G C 3 ′ . Polymerase chain reaction products were sequenced commercially and submitted to GenBank (accession n...

Etymologia: Balamuthia mandrillaris

A Balamuthia survivor

INTRODUCTION This case report describes a human survivor of Balamuthia mandrillaris infection. This is a free-living amoeba that can cause infection with the devastating consequence of near universally fatal encephalitis. We report this case to demonstrate the possibility of recovery. CASE PRESENTATION A 26-year-old Hispanic male, a landscape gardener, presented to the hospital in March 2010 ...

Disseminated Balamuthia mandrillaris Infection.

Balamuthia mandrillaris is a rare cause of human infection, but when infections do occur, they result in high rates of morbidity and mortality. A case of disseminated Balamuthia infection is presented. Early diagnosis and initiation of recommended therapy are essential for increased chances of successful outcomes.

Balamuthia mandrillaris from soil samples.

Balamuthia mandrillaris amoebas are recognized as a causative agent of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, a disease that is usually fatal. They were first recognized when isolated from the brain of a mandrill baboon that died in the San Diego Zoo Wild Life Animal Park. Subsequently, the amoebas have been found in a variety of animals, including humans (young and old, immunocompromised and immu...