Fatal amoebic meningoencephalitis caused byinand first case report in.

Abstract

is an amoeba that can cause granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) as well as lung and skin infections in both humans and animals. Studies on-related GAE cases have increased in recent years. This amoeba has been identified as a cause of encephalitis and death in several non-human primates. In this study, we report a case of a 4-year-old female Bornean orangutan () in a zoological center that exhibited neurological symptoms for several days. After unsuccessful treatments and a worsening in her condition, euthanasia was deemed necessary. Additionally, we describe the case of a 4-year-old male chimpanzee () who died suddenly in a different zoo. Postmortem analysis revealed brain lesions with multiple hemorrhages, oedema, and inflammation in various organs in both cases. Histology showed the presence oftrophozoites in necrotic and inflamed brain tissues, consistent with granulomatous amoebic meningoencephalitis. The diagnosis was confirmed using a multiplex qPCR assay on brain tissue samples from both animals water and soil samples from the chimpanzee's and orangutan's enclosure tested positive forDNA by qPCR, confirming environmental exposure. An immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) assay detectedin chimpanzee brain slices. According to the authors' knowledge, this report documents the first known cases ofamoebic encephalitis in non-human primates in Spain and the first case in.