ArticleCureus2026
Microbiological Profile of Meningoencephalitis Due to Pathogenic Free-Living Amoebae: A Case Series From Kerala, India.
Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Beyond granulomatous amoebic encephalitis: changing epidemiology and an expanding spectrum of non-flagellated amoebic CNS infection in India.Infection · 2026Review
- Epidemiology of and Risk Factors for Amebic Meningoencephalitis, Kerala, India, 2025.Emerging infectious diseases · 2026Review
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10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFree-living amoebae (FLA) are environmental protozoa that cause rare but often fatal infections of the central nervous system (CNS), collectively manifesting as meningoencephalitis. Data from the Indian subcontinent remain limited. This case series describes the clinical profile, diagnostic challenges, treatment strategies, and outcomes of patients with FLA meningoencephalitis in Kerala, India.
methodsA retrospective observational study was conducted on 12 patients with microbiologically confirmed FLA meningoencephalitis managed at a tertiary care centre in Kerala between May 2024 and April 2025. Clinical features, laboratory findings, diagnostic modalities, treatment regimens, and outcomes were extracted from medical records and analysed descriptively.
resultsTwelve patients (age range: 6-56 years; median: 32.5 years) were included, with a slight male predominance (58.3%). Over half of the patients resided in Malappuram district. The most common presenting symptoms were fever (91.7%), headache (83.3%), and altered mental status (50%). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed elevated protein in 75%, reduced glucose in 83.3%, and pleocytosis (median cell count: 157 cells/mm
conclusionsFLA meningoencephalitis often presents with non-specific neurological symptoms, making early recognition challenging. Rapid wet mount microscopy of fresh CSF is a pivotal diagnostic tool in resource-limited settings and facilitated early diagnosis in this series. Early initiation of multidrug therapy upon identification of FLA on wet mount microscopy has improved survival. Although mortality remains high, this outcome exceeds the global data reported for
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