See Also: primary amoebic meningoencephalitis(medicine)
acute primary haemorrhagic meningoencephalitis(medicine)
Herbal medicine (botanical medicine, herbology, phytomedicine)(health)
amoebic(dictionary)
amoebic(medicine)
amoebic vaginitis(medicine)
amoebic granuloma(medicine)
amoebic dysentery(medicine)
amoebic abscess(medicine)
amoebic colitis(medicine)

primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (medicine)


primary amoebic meningoencephalitis


An invasive, rapidly fatal cerebral infection by soil amoebae, chiefly Naegleria fowleri, found in man and other primates and experimentally in rodents; the disease is characterised by a high fever, neck rigidity, and symptoms associated with upper respiratory infection such as cough and nausea; although organisms have been cultured from various organs, the brain is the primary focus, especially the olfactory lobes and cerebral cortex, which are first attacked by the amoebae that enter from nasal mucosa through the cribriform plate; death usually occurs two to three days after onset of symptoms.