When Tuberculosis Is Not the Answer: Acanthamoeba Meningoencephalitis Mimicking Chronic CNS Tuberculosis
Nitin Gupta, Vinay Khanna, Anjely Sebastian, Pothumarthy Venkata Swathikiran, Rathan Kamath, Shreya Singh, Sumeeta Khurana, Muralidhar Varma, et al. (9 authors)
Journal of Travel Medicine · 2026-05
Abstract
Acanthamoeba central nervous system infection closely mimics tuberculous meningitis, with lymphocytic pleocytosis and basal exudates on imaging. Diagnostic delay is common. Routine wet-mount microscopy of cerebrospinal fluid is a low-cost, high-yield test, and early anti-amoebic therapy can result in good neurological recovery.
MeSH terms
- Medicine
- Meningoencephalitis
- Pleocytosis
- Tuberculosis
- Acanthamoeba
- Cerebrospinal fluid
- Central nervous system
- Pathology
- Lymphocytic pleocytosis
- Immunology
- Central nervous system disease
- Tuberculoma
- AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections
- Meningitis
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Virology
- Opportunistic infection
- Viral disease