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Published by : PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL PUBLICATIONS |
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ISSN 1681-715X |
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CASE REPORT |
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Volume 22 |
October - December 2006 |
Number 4 |
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Primary Amebic
Meningoencephalitis
Ahmad Shamsizadeh1, Nahid Zaker2, Sharif Maraghi3, Ali Akbar Momen4
ABSTRACT
This is the first case description of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in an Iranian child. The patient was an eighteen months old boy referred to the hospital with signs and symptoms of acute meningitis. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination indicated pleocytosis with predominance of neutrophils, low sugar and high protein. Gram staining and culture of CSF for bacteria were negative. Microscopic examination of CSF revealed the motile amebae with pseudopodia. In Giemsa staining of CSF, the trophzoites of amebae were observed. The initial response to a six-week treatment course with amphotericin B, rifampin and chloramphenicol was satisfactory, but in the follow-ups the patient regressed neurologically. Although PAM is a rare and fatal disease, it should be differentiated from bacterial meningitis and treatment must be promptly carried out.
KEY WORDS: Primary amebic, Meningoencephalitis, Children.
Pak J Med Sci October - December 2006 Vol. 22 No. 4 471-473
1. Dr. Ahmad Shamsizadeh MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases,
Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center2. Dr. Nahid Zaker MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center3. Dr. Sharif Maraghi PhD
Professor of Parasitology
Department of Mycoparasitology4. Dr. Ali Akbar Momen MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology
Division of Pediatric Neurology1-4: Ahwaz Jondi-Shapour University of Medical Sciences,
Ahwaz, Iran.Correspondence:
Dr. Ahmad Shamsizadeh
E-Mail: shamsizadeh@ajums.ac.ir* Received for Publication: October 14, 2005
* Accepted: April 30, 2006
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