Abstract
Three genera of free-living amebae are known human pathogens that cause highly fatal central nervous system (CNS) infections in humans. These are Acanthamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris, and Naegleria fowleri. Acanthamoeba spp. and Balamuthia mandrillaris both cause the highly fatal granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE). Naegleria fowleri, also commonly referred to as the brain-eating amoeba, causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which can infect any individual whether immunocompromised or not. Acanthamoeba spp. mostly infect immunocompromised patients, while cases of Balamuthia mandrillaris can infect any individual. Cases of PAM usually occur in children and young adults, and have a high fatality rate. A commonality between all CNS infections from FLA are their propensity to cause fulminant, highly fatal disease that often go undiagnosed or are only identified post-mortem.
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