Laboratory Diagnostic Methods: Balamuthia mandrillaris

How to Subscribe
MLS & MLT Comprehensive CE Package
Includes 186 CE courses, most popular		$109Add to cart
Pick Your Courses
Up to 8 CE hours		$55Add to cart
Individual course$25Add to cart
The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Free-Living Amoeba as Agents of Infection. Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

Learn more about Free-Living Amoeba as Agents of Infection (online CE course)
Laboratory Diagnostic Methods: Balamuthia mandrillaris

  • Cerebrospinal fluid: elevated protein, lymphocytosis, normal glucose, and trophozoites are rarely seen in CSF.
  • PCR for detection of amoebic DNA, especially in brain tissue.
  • Detection of trophozoites in tissue (eg, brain biopsy). (Balamuthia is rarely seen in CSF; brain tissue is the specimen of choice for microscopic examination using hematoxylin and eosin [H&E] or periodic acid-Schiff [PAS] where cysts may be visualized.)
  • Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to detect antibodies developed against B. mandrillaris in serum. (However, the CDC no longer uses serology as a routine diagnostic test.) A more popular method is the use of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) staining to detect the antigen using specific amoebic antibodies in tissue or CSF using microscopic examination.)14
  • Neuroimaging to look for the presence of space-occupying lesions. The image below demonstrates bilateral hemorrhagic & necrotic lesions in the frontal lobe.
14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Website. Parasites - Balamuthia mandrillaris- Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis (GAE). Diagnosis and detection section. Last reviewed September 4, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/balamuthia/