Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39998041›Full record

ArticleTropical medicine and infectious disease2025

Central Nervous System Infection by Free-Living Nematode

Charlotte Sriruttan-Nel, Chelline Cairns, Shareen Boughan, Bhavani Moodley, Lisa Ming Sun, Wai Yin Chan, Arshad Ismail, Absalom Mwazha, Praniel Bennimahadeo, Nithendra Manickchund and 6 more

Abstract readCase Reports
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Tropical medicine and infectious disease, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Extracts from the Edible MushroomFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    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

16 authors.

Charlotte Sriruttan-NelParasitology Reference Laboratory, Centre for Zoonotic Emerging and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.
Chelline CairnsDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Victoria Mxenge Hospital, Division of Internal Medicine, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4013, South Africa.
Shareen BoughanParasitology Reference Laboratory, Centre for Zoonotic Emerging and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.
Bhavani MoodleyParasitology Reference Laboratory, Centre for Zoonotic Emerging and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.
Lisa Ming SunParasitology Reference Laboratory, Centre for Zoonotic Emerging and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.
Wai Yin ChanSequencing Core Facility, National Institute for Communicable Diseases a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-4933-8806
Arshad IsmailSequencing Core Facility, National Institute for Communicable Diseases a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-4672-5915
Absalom MwazhaDepartment of Anatomical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service, Durban 4001, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-0895-5659
Praniel BennimahadeoDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, Victoria Mxenge Hospital, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4013, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-9625-2573
Nithendra ManickchundDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Victoria Mxenge Hospital, Division of Internal Medicine, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4013, South Africa.
Mthabisi MoyoEar, Nose and Throat Surgery Department, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa.
Thabani NkwanyanaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Victoria Mxenge Hospital, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4013, South Africa.
Mpumelelo Z MsimangDepartment of Anatomical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service, Durban 4001, South Africa.
Ahmed EssaHistopathology Division, Lancet Laboratories, Durban Branch, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa.
John FreanParasitology Reference Laboratory, Centre for Zoonotic Emerging and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-3375-5760
Mahomed-Yunus MoosaDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Victoria Mxenge Hospital, Division of Internal Medicine, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4013, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0001-6191-4023

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHuman central nervous system infections due to free-living nematodes, although extremely rare, are usually fatal. Immunodeficiency has not been a feature of most of these cases, unlike the situation pertaining to disseminated CASE REPORT: An elderly immunocompetent man presented with a history of tinnitus and otalgia, progressing to central nervous system involvement with confusion, weakness, and other neurological signs. Examination revealed a unilateral external auditory canal soft tissue mass and radiological evidence of ipsilateral temporal bone destruction and brain parenchymal disease. A biopsy of the ear canal mass revealed the presence of an unidentified nematode species, and treatment with anthelminthics was started. The patient's clinical condition deteriorated and he died shortly after admission to the intensive care unit. The immediate cause of death was bronchopneumonia. During the autopsy, an extensive involvement of the right middle cranial fossa was found, with destruction of the squamous and petrous parts of the temporal bone.

resultsWe identified adult, larval, and egg stages of a free-living nematode in the antemortem external auditory canal tissue mass and the post-mortem brain samples. Polymerase chain reaction assays, with Sanger and whole-genome sequencing, identified

conclusionsMicroscopic appearance and the invasive behaviour of the pathogen evoked a putative diagnosis of

Indexed as

central nervous systemCephalobus cubaensisfree-living nematodemeningoencephalitis

Identifiers

PMID39998041
PMCPMC11860163

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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.