Biomaterial Database

Laboratory diagnosis of pathogenic free-living amoebas: Naegleria, Acanthamoeba, and Leptomyxid. 1991

A J Martinez, and G S Visvesvara

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Pathogenic free-living amebae of the genera Naegleria, Acanthamoeba, and Leptomyxid are still unfamiliar to pathologists, clinicians, and public health workers. These amebae are distributed worldwide in fresh water, dust, soil, sewage, and air conditioning units. The diagnosis, identification, and culture of the amebae, and risk factors, clinical manifestations, and histopathologic features of the diseases produced by these amebae are reviewed in this article.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008590	Meningoencephalitis	An inflammatory process involving the brain (ENCEPHALITIS) and meninges (MENINGITIS), most often produced by pathogenic organisms which invade the central nervous system, and occasionally by toxins, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions.	Cerebromeningitis,Encephalomeningitis,Cerebromeningitides,Encephalomeningitides,Meningoencephalitides
D009253	Naegleria	A free-living soil amoeba pathogenic to humans and animals. It occurs also in water and sewage. The most commonly found species in man is NAEGLERIA FOWLERI which is the pathogen for primary amebic meningoencephalitis in primates.	Naeglerias
D004660	Encephalitis	Inflammation of the BRAIN due to infection, autoimmune processes, toxins, and other conditions. Viral infections (see ENCEPHALITIS, VIRAL) are a relatively frequent cause of this condition.	Inflammation, Brain,Rasmussen Syndrome,Brain Inflammation,Encephalitis, Rasmussen,Rasmussen Encephalitis,Rasmussen's Syndrome,Brain Inflammations
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000048	Acanthamoeba	A genus of free-living soil amoebae that produces no flagellate stage. Its organisms are pathogens for several infections in humans and have been found in the eye, bone, brain, and respiratory tract.	Acanthamoebas
D000562	Amebiasis	Infection with any of various amebae. It is an asymptomatic carrier state in most individuals, but diseases ranging from chronic, mild diarrhea to fulminant dysentery may occur.	Abscess, Amebic,Acanthamebiasis,Ameboma,Amoebiasis,Iodamoebiasis,Acanthamoeba Infection,Balamuthia Infection,Abscesses, Amebic,Acanthamebiases,Acanthamoeba Infections,Amebiases,Amebic Abscess,Amebic Abscesses,Amoebiases,Balamuthia Infections,Infection, Acanthamoeba,Infection, Balamuthia,Iodamoebiases
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D056890	Eukaryota	One of the three domains of life (the others being BACTERIA and ARCHAEA), also called Eukarya. These are organisms whose cells are enclosed in membranes and possess a nucleus. They comprise almost all multicellular and many unicellular organisms, and are traditionally divided into groups (sometimes called kingdoms) including ANIMALS; PLANTS; FUNGI; and various algae and other taxa that were previously part of the old kingdom Protista.	Eukaryotes,Eucarya,Eukarya,Eukaryotas,Eukaryote