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Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Western Australia
Author(s) -
Miller Geoffrey,
Cuility Garry,
Walpole Ian,
O'Connor June,
Masters Peter
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1982.tb132348.x
Subject(s) - naegleria fowleri , meningoencephalitis , cerebrospinal fluid , naegleria , epidemiology , medicine , pathology , protozoa , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
This paper describes the findings in three fatal cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Two children developed the infection in January, 1980, in widely separated wheat‐belt towns. The third child's infection, diagnosed by retrospective examination of necropsy material, developed in February, 1963, in the town where the second child lived. Infection with Naegleria fowleri was demonstrated by histological examination supplemented by specific immunofluorescence in all three cases, and by culture in the second case. For early diagnosis it is important to search for amoebae both on wet preparations and on stained films of cerebrospinal fluid when primary amoebic meningoencephalitis is suspected on epidemiological grounds or from cerebrospinal fluid findings.