ORIGINAL ARTICLE
UNFAMILIARITY OF PRIMARY AMOEBIC MENINGOENCEPHALITIS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
 
More details
Hide details
1
Abia State University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Department of Primary Health Care, Aba, Nigeria
2
Abia State University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Department of Microbiology and Immuniology, Aba, Nigeria
3
Abia State University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Department of Community Medicine, Aba, Nigeria
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Reginald Eke   

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University, PO Box 3309, Aba, Nigeira Phone: 082226310, 08034304111
Online publication date: 2006-10-15
Publication date: 2006-10-15
 
Eur J Gen Med 2006;3(4):190–192
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
We report a case of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Nigeria in a 7-year old boy from a rural area. The clinical course was classically that of meningoencephalitis and laboratory diagnosis was from the cerebrospinal fluid and pond water specimen which showed free-living structures of amoeba of Naegleria species. Methods available could not differentiate the Naegleria species. Investigation revealed that the boy played and swam in a village pond for many years before his death and the pond was infested with free living amoebae. Despite the world-wide nature of the disease, the reporting of the cases had been very rare. The apparent rarity of the reporting world-wide and in particular in developing countries result in ignorance of people of the disease.
eISSN:2516-3507