Fatal subacute necrotising brainstem encephalitis in a young man due to a rare parasitic (Balamuthia) infection
- 1Professor
- 2Assistant Professor
- 3Professor
- 4Senior Resident
- 5Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
- 6Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroradiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
- 7Senior Resident, Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
- Professor K Prasad, Department of Neurology, Room No 704, Neurosciences Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi-110029, India; drkameshwarprasad{at}yahoo.co.in
Abstract
We describe a case of brainstem inflammation in a young man which at first defied diagnosis. However, after his death, and notwithstanding our inability to find a cause at autopsy, we did not give up. After sending paraffin blocks to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, they suggested the diagnosis of Balamuthia (amoebic) infection.
