Title
Cutaneous balamuthiasis: A clinicopathological study
Date Issued
01 March 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Inc.
Abstract
Introduction: Balamuthia mandrillaris, a free-living amoeba, causes an uncommon infection that is characterized by cutaneous and neurological involvement, which carries a poor prognosis. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study including patients with clinical suspicion of cutaneous balamuthiasis, their skin biopsies, and/or a positive direct immunofluorescence test. The data were collected from the Dermatology and Pathology service of the Hospital Cayetano Heredia and the Instituto Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Lima, Peru, from January 1985 to June 2007. We identified 60 biopsies from 35 patients, from which clinical data were available in 30. Results: Twenty-two (73%) patients had centrofacial lesions, mostly located on the nose. The classical lesion was an asymptomatic, erythematous, or violaceous infiltrated plaque. Twenty-two (73%) patients had neurologic involvement. Fifty (83%) biopsies showed granulomatous dermatitis and 75% showed ill-defined tuberculoid granulomas without caseous necrosis. Multinucleated giant cells were observed in 52 (87%) biopsies. Trophozoite forms were identified in the biopsies of 25 (71%) patients. Direct immunofluorescence was positive in 25 (71%) patients. Conclusion: B. mandrillaris is a pathogen that is capable of inducing a characteristic skin lesion with a reaction pattern of ill-defined tuberculoid granulomas and many giant cells.
Start page
51
End page
58
Volume
6
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Parasitología Neurología clínica
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85125784426
Source
JAAD International
ISSN of the container
26663287
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus