학술논문
Serologic survey for exposure following fatal Balamuthia mandrillaris infection.
Document Type
Article
Author
Source
Subject
*BALAMUTHIA mandrillaris
*SEROLOGY
*TRANSPLANTATION of organs, tissues, etc.
*BLOOD testing
*DISEASE progression
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Language
ISSN
0932-0113
Abstract
Granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) from Balamuthia mandrillaris, a free-living ameba, has a case fatality rate exceeding 90 % among recognized cases in the USA. In August 2010, a GAE cluster occurred following transplantation of infected organs from a previously healthy landscaper in Tucson, AZ, USA, who died from a suspected stroke. As B. mandrillaris is thought to be transmitted through soil, a serologic survey of landscapers and a comparison group of blood donors in southern Arizona was performed. Three (3.6 %) of 83 serum samples from landscapers and 11 (2.5 %) of 441 serum samples from blood donors were seropositive ( p = 0.47). On multivariable analysis, county of residence was associated with seropositivity, whereas age, sex, and ethnicity were not. Exposure to B. mandrillaris, previously unexamined in North America, appears to be far more common than GAE in Southern Arizona. Risk factors for disease progression and the ameba's geographic range should be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]