Abstract

SOLIS-CASTRO, María Edith. Lethal encephalitis due to free-living amoebae in three members of a family, in Tumbes, Peru. Rev. perú. med. exp. salud publica [online]. 2021, vol.38, n.2, pp.291-295.  Epub May 19, 2021. ISSN 1726-4634.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2021.382.6754.

Free-living amoebas (FLA) are protozoan parasites that occasionally cause disease in humans after contact with contaminated water or soil. We describe a series of three cases of encephalitis in a family group with a fatal outcome that occurred in the Tumbes region between December 2019 and February 2020. Acanthamoeba sp. was identified in the cerebrospinal fluid sample from case 1. All three cases had a history of entering a swimming pool months before the disease. In the Tumbes region there is no previous record of encephalitis due to FLA and its occurrence in a family cluster has never been reported before.

Keywords : Encephalitis; Central Nervous System Protozoal Infections; Acanthamoeba; Amebiasis.

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