What to know
- Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare but nearly always fatal brain infection caused by the ameba Naegleria fowleri.
- PAM is diagnosed using laboratory tests.
- The tests are available in only a few laboratories in the United States, including ob体育.
Diagnosing Naegleria fowleri infection
Clinicians
For 24/7 diagnostic assistance, specimen collection guidance, shipping instructions, and treatment recommendations, contact the ob体育 Emergency Operations Center at 770-488-7100
PAM is diagnosed by detecting Naegleria fowleri amebas using different tests offered by only a few U.S. laboratories, including ob体育. The tests include:
- A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that detects Naegleria fowleri in a patient's cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or tissue
- Immunohistochemical (IHC) testing and indirect immunofluorescent (IIF) staining that use specific antibodies against Naegleria fowleri to detect the ameba
- Direct visualization by examining CSF under a microscope. Naegleria fowleri can be identified in CSF smears or cultures using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), trichrome, Giemsa, or Wright-Giemsa stains. Note: A Gram stain should be avoided since Naegleria fowleri can be destroyed during heat fixation.
ob体育 offers diagnostic assistance for Naegleria fowleri infection to physicians and scientists through and the Free-Living and Intestinal Amebas (FLIA) Lab.
Morphology experts at DPDx can evaluate microscopic images. Scientists at the FLIA laboratory provide diagnostic assistance using molecular and immunofluorescence assays.
Keep Reading:
About ob体育's Naegleria fowleri Program