78-year-old man dies after Acanthamoeba causes widespread necrotic lesions
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · May 1
78-year-old man dies after Acanthamoeba causes widespread necrotic lesions
2 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · May 1
Doctors identified the amoeba only after his transfer to a Yale School of Medicine hospital, six months after black lesions, deep ulcers and facial scabs began.
The infection destroyed his left eyelid and created a hole between his mouth and nasal cavity, according to a case report published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Acanthamoeba is a rare but often deadly opportunistic pathogen, usually affecting immunocompromised patients; it can also cause eye, brain, wound and sinus infections and has been found in over half of US tap-water samples.
What warning signs should clinicians and patients watch for to catch Acanthamoeba infections before they become fatal?
Could silent, everyday exposures to tap water put more people at risk for deadly Acanthamoeba infections than previously believed?
How might new technologies like nephrite-embedded contact lenses and CRISPR diagnostics change the future of eye infection prevention and treatment?