{"title":"Acute meningoencephalitis with subdural empyema associated with <i>Acanthamoeba</i> in an immunocompetent individual.","authors":"Samik Pramanik, Sugata Dasgupta, Samarendranath Samui, Atanu Chandra, Francis J Kattady, Moloy Makhal","doi":"10.1177/14782715251342120","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Acanthamoeba</i>-induced meningoencephalitis is a rare and frequently fatal condition. We describe a case of acute <i>Acanthamoeba</i> meningoencephalitis complicated by subdural empyema in a previously healthy 50-year-old man who presented with high-grade fever, neck stiffness and left-sided hemiparesis. Neuroimaging revealed a subdural collection in the right fronto-temporo-parietal region, while cerebrospinal fluid analysis demonstrated neutrophilic pleocytosis with trophozoites morphologically consistent with <i>Acanthamoeba</i> species. The patient underwent burr-hole evacuation of the subdural collection and was managed with antimicrobial therapy and supportive care. The patient achieved complete recovery and was discharged after 2 weeks. This case underscores the importance of considering <i>Acanthamoeba</i> as a potential etiological agent in meningoencephalitis, even among immunocompetent individuals and highlights the critical role of early diagnosis and timely intervention in improving clinical outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":46606,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh","volume":" ","pages":"184-187"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14782715251342120","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/5/19 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Acanthamoeba-induced meningoencephalitis is a rare and frequently fatal condition. We describe a case of acute Acanthamoeba meningoencephalitis complicated by subdural empyema in a previously healthy 50-year-old man who presented with high-grade fever, neck stiffness and left-sided hemiparesis. Neuroimaging revealed a subdural collection in the right fronto-temporo-parietal region, while cerebrospinal fluid analysis demonstrated neutrophilic pleocytosis with trophozoites morphologically consistent with Acanthamoeba species. The patient underwent burr-hole evacuation of the subdural collection and was managed with antimicrobial therapy and supportive care. The patient achieved complete recovery and was discharged after 2 weeks. This case underscores the importance of considering Acanthamoeba as a potential etiological agent in meningoencephalitis, even among immunocompetent individuals and highlights the critical role of early diagnosis and timely intervention in improving clinical outcomes.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (JRCPE) is the College’s quarterly, peer-reviewed journal, with an international circulation of 8,000. It has three main emphases – clinical medicine, education and medical history. The online JRCPE provides full access to the contents of the print journal and has a number of additional features including advance online publication of recently accepted papers, an online archive, online-only papers, online symposia abstracts, and a series of topic-specific supplements, primarily based on the College’s consensus conferences.