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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Taiwan CDC reports rare case of Acanthamoeba encephalitis

Via Examiner, excerpt :

" The first case of Acanthamoeba encephalitis in Taiwan was confirmed by the Taiwanese Centers for Disease Control (CDC) last week.

The rare case of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, a serious infection of the brain and spinal cord, happened in a 63-year-old man in Central Taiwan.

According to a report in China Daily, the man reportedly fell into a ditch doing farm work in Dec 2008. Ten days after the accident, the man presented with severe headaches, fever and abdominal distention.

Acanthamoeba in amoebic keratitis

His cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contained numerous white blood cells. Later testing revealed the amoebic parasite, Acanthamoeba.

The report also notes that the exact Acanthamoeba spp. was found in ditch water samples.

The very fortunate farmer recovered from the frequently fatal infection after more than two months (the mortality rate for this infection is around 85%). However, he has suffered some side effects from the infection like problems with his speech."

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