2024-03-29T15:32:40Zhttp://repisalud.isciii.es/oai/requestoai:repisalud.isciii.es:20.500.12105/143182022-05-10T08:18:40Zcom_20.500.12105_2060com_20.500.12105_2052com_20.500.12105_2051col_20.500.12105_2061
00925njm 22002777a 4500
dc
Sánchez Zamora, Purificación
author
Gallotti, Ana C.
author
Ramos, Raquel
author
Ligero López, Jorge
author
González, Yasmina
author
Mejía, Rossel A.
author
Orozco Vinasco, Adriana C.
author
Fuentes Corripio, Isabel
author
Merino, Francisco J.
author
2021-12
Objective: Unusual clinical course
Background: Amebiasis is a parasitic infection caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. Amebic brain abscesses are
a rare form of invasive amebiasis frequently lethal due to the difficulty of its diagnosis and inadequate treat-
ment. Cerebral amebiasis poses a therapeutic challenge as evidenced by the scarcity of papers reporting com-
plete recovering after treatment.
Case Report: We report the case of a 39-year-old Spanish man, with a history of alcohol and drug abuse. He had never trav-
eled outside of Europe, no reported oral-anal sexual contact, and no history of immunosuppressant medica-
tion. He was admitted to the Emergency department with temperature of 38°C, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
An abdominal CT scan showed multiples abscesses in the liver. Therefore, empirical meropenem treatment was
started on suspicion of pyogenic liver abscesses due to lack of epidemiological risk factors for parasitic infec-
tion. In the liver aspirate samples, E. histolytica trophozoites were directly visualized and a real-time PCR was
also positive for it. After amebiasis diagnosis, intravenous (IV) metronidazole therapy was initiated.
During his admission, the patient developed pulmonary, cutaneous and cerebral involvement amebiasis. The
management of amebic brain abscesses includes surgical drainage and antiparasitic treatment, in our case IV
metronidazole was maintained for 10 weeks. No surgical treatment was performed and even so, the patient
evolved favorably.
Conclusions: Amebic brain abscesses have a high mortality rate if inadequate treatment. A timely diagnosis and suitable
treat can reduce its mortality, so the diagnosis of amebic infection should not be precluded in non-endemic
countries.
Am J Case Rep. 2021 Dec 11;22:e934188.
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/14318
34893577
10.12659/AJCR.934188
1941-5923
American Journal of Case Reports
Amebiasis
Brain abscess
Entamoeba histolytica
Metronidazole
An Unexpected Case of Disseminated Amebiasis with Cerebral Involvement and Successful Recovery in a Non-Endemic Context