Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42342687›Full record

SynthesisEmerging infectious diseases2026

Neurosurgical Biopsy and Resection for Diagnosis and Treatment of Balamuthia mandrillaris Amebic Encephalitis, United States.

Beenish Rubbab, Ammar Adenwalla, Natasha Spottiswoode, Julia C Haston, Sarah Firmani, Sumit Singh, Veena Rajaram, Jay Ramos, Ibne Karim M Ali, Brett Whittemore and 1 more

Abstract readCase ReportsSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Emerging infectious diseases, 2026. 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. The first reported case ofFrontiers in medicine · 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

11 authors.

Beenish Rubbab
Ammar Adenwalla
Natasha Spottiswoode
Julia C Haston
Sarah Firmani
Sumit Singh
Veena Rajaram
Jay Ramos
Ibne Karim M Ali
Brett Whittemore
Natasha W Hanners

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We report a systematic case review of antemortem neurosurgical resections and biopsies and outcomes including new lesions after procedure and survival in Balamuthia mandrillaris granulomatous amebic encephalitis. The investigation was prompted by a 5-year-old patient in the southwestern United States who was treated with nitroxoline, the 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regimen, and underwent 2 resections; initial resection site recurrence and a new lesion after resection prompted the question whether complete resection versus biopsy is associated with better outcomes. We conducted a literature review and found no substantial difference between neurosurgical resection versus biopsy-only groups. Limitations include case review, number of cases, and incomplete data available. Additional analyses comparing neurosurgical outcomes with outcomes of those diagnosed via blood or cerebrospinal fluid and metagenomic next-generation sequencing might provide more definitive answers. This case and systematic review provide evidence that treatment with nitroxoline and neurosurgical resection could contribute to survival in Balamuthia encephalitis case-patients.

Indexed as

AmebiasisBalamuthia mandrillarisCentral Nervous System Protozoal InfectionsEncephalitisInfectious EncephalitisNeurosurgical ProceduresAnimalsBiopsyChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMaleTreatment OutcomeUnited StatesamebaBalamuthia mandrillarisinfectious encephalitismeningitis/encephalitisnitroxolineparasitesUnited States

Identifiers

PMID42342687
PMCPMC13322428

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.