Rapid, Noninvasive Diagnosis of Balamuthia mandrillaris Encephalitis by a Plasma-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Test
Gautam Kalyatanda, Kenneth H. Rand, Martin Lindner, David K. Hong, Sait Albayram, Jason V. Gregory, Jesse Kresak, Karim M Ali Ibne, Jennifer R. Cope, Shantanu Roy, Joy Gary, Varalakshmi Ballur Narayana Reddy, Asim A. Ahmed
Abstract
Abstract Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) caused by Balamuthia mandrillaris is a rare subacute infection with exceptionally high mortality. Diagnosis is typically made by brain biopsy or at autopsy. Detection of Balamuthia mandrillaris cell-free DNA by next-generation sequencing of plasma enabled rapid, noninvasive diagnosis in a case of amoebic encephalitis.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineBrain biopsyEncephalitisPathologyAutopsyDNA sequencingVirologyBiopsyDNABiologyVirusGeneticsLegionella and Acanthamoeba researchVibrio bacteria research studiesBacterial biofilms and quorum sensing