Meningoencephalitis Due to Free-Living Amebas Normally Found in Soil
Authors: HOWARD B. SHOOKHOFF
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1969)

Editorial Notes1 June 1969Meningoencephalitis Due to Free-Living Amebas Normally Found in SoilHOWARD B. SHOOKHOFF, M.D.HOWARD B. SHOOKHOFF, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-70-6-1276 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptWithin the past 5 years, knowledge of a hitherto unrecognized infectious disease—amebic meningoencephalitis—has crystallized. The first reports of clinical identification of the causative organism have appeared only very recently. Cerva, Zimak, and Novak (1) have cultured amebas of the genusNaegleriafrom three separate spinal fluid specimens obtained from a 12-year-old boy who died of an acute purulent meningitis that did not respond to antibacterial agents. In 1968 amebas believed to beNaegleriasp. were isolated from the spinal fluid of a 15-year-old girl who died after 5 days of a similar illness at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital...References1. CERVA L, ZIMAK V, and NOVAK K: Amoebic meningoencephalitis: a new amoeba isolate. Science 163: 575, 1969. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. WHITE PC, WAGNER WP, and DUMA RJ: Primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Morbid. Mortal. Weekly Rep. 17: 330, 1968. Google Scholar3. BUTT CG, BARO C, and KNORR RW: Naegleria (sp.) identified in amebic encephalitis. Amer. J. Clin. Path. 50: 568, 1968. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. FOWLER M and CARTER RF: Acute pyogenic meningitis probably due to Acanthamoeba sp.: a preliminary report. Brit. Med. J. 2: 740, 1965. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. BUTT CG: Primary amebic meningo-encephalitis. New Eng. J. Med. 274: 1473, 1966. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. CERVA L and NOVAK K: Amoebic meningoencephalitis: sixteen fatalities. Science 160: 92, 1968. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. CULBERTSON CG, SMITH JW, COHEN HK, and MINNER JR: Experimental infection of mice and monkeys by Acanthamoeba. Amer. J. Path. 35: 185, 1959. MedlineGoogle Scholar8. CERVA L: Amoebic meningoencephalitis: axenic culture of Naegleria. Science 163: 576, 1969. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. KERNOHAN JW, MAGATH TB, and SCHLOSS GT: Granuloma of brain probably due to Endolimax williamsi (Iodamoeba butschlii). Arch. Path. (Chicago) 70: 576, 1960. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. DERRICK EH: A fatal case of generalized amoebiasis due to a protozoon closely resembling, if not identical with, Iodamoeba butschlii. Trans. Roy. Soc. Trop. Med. 42: 191, 1948. CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. WANG SS and FELDMAN HA: Isolation of hartmanella species from human throats. New Eng. J. Med. 277: 1174, 1967. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: HOWARD B. SHOOKHOFF, M.D.Affiliations: 39 E. 78th St. New York, N. Y. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 June 1969Volume 70, Issue 6Page: 1276-1277KeywordsAntibioticsInfectious diseasesMeningitisMeningoencephalitis ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 June 1969 PDF downloadLoading ...