Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37258265›Full record

ArticleParasites, hosts and diseases2023

Diagnosing Balamuthia mandrillaris amebic meningoencephalitis in a 64-year-old woman from the Southwest of China.

Suhua Yao, Xiaoting Chen, Lian Qian, Shizheng Sun, Chunjing Zhao, Zongkai Bai, Zhaofang Chen, Youcong Wu

Open access · hybridAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites, hosts and diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The first reported case ofFrontiers in medicine · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Pulmonary infection due toASM case reports · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Suhua YaoDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Xiaoting ChenDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Lian QianDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Shizheng SunDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Chunjing ZhaoDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Zongkai BaiDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Zhaofang ChenDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Youcong WuDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, China.
Dali University · CNShanghai Medical College of Fudan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Balamuthia mandrillaris amebic encephalitis (BAE) can cause a fatal condition if diagnosis is delayed or effective treatment is lacking. Patients with BAE have been previously reported in 12 provinces of China, with skin lesions being the primary symptom and encephalitis developing after several years. However, a significantly lower number of cases has been reported in Southwest China. Here we report an aggressive BAE case of a 64-year-old woman farmer with a history of skin lesions on her left hand. She was admitted to our hospital due to symptoms of dizziness, headache, cough, vomiting, and gait instability. She was initially diagnosed with syphilitic meningoencephalitis and received a variety of empirical treatment that failed to improve her symptoms. Finally, she was diagnosed with BAE combined with amebic pneumonia using next-generation sequencing (NGS), qRT-PCR, sequence analysis, and imaging studies. She died approximately 3 weeks after the onset. This case highlights that the rapid development of encephalitis can be a prominent clinical manifestation of Balamuthia mandrillaris infection.

Indexed as

AmebiasisAmoebaBalamuthia mandrillarisCentral Nervous System Protozoal InfectionsEncephalitisInfectious EncephalitisChinaFemaleHumansMiddle Agedamebic encephalitisamebic pneumoniaBalamuthia mandrillarisSouthwest China

Identifiers

PMID37258265
PMCPMC10234826
OpenAlexW4378834102

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.