A man infected with a “brain-eating” amoeba has survived and largely recovered after experimental treatment with a decades-old drug.
In the summer of 2021, a 54-year-old man was brought to a hospital in Northern California after an unexplained seizure. When an MRI revealed a mysterious mass in the left side of his brain, he was transferred to the University of California, San Francisco , Medical Center. A brain biopsy and other tests revealed not a tumor, but an incredibly rare infection of the central nervous system caused by the amoeba.
Researchers later determined the organism represented a new species of amoeba, constituting its own genus. Balamuthia lives in soil, dust, and water, and it’s believed to enter the body via the lungs or via skin cuts. Spottiswoode and her colleagues started the patient on an aggressive suite of antiparasitic, antibacterial, and antifungal drugs delivered via 47 daily pills and an intravenous drip. But the drug cocktail was somewhat ad hoc, Spottiswoode admits. “It’s what’s recommended because it was what happened to be used in patients who survived,” she says.
After just 1 week of treatment with nitroxoline, the patient’s lesions shrank. Follow-up MRIs have revealed continued improvement, and the patient is now living at home. “I think he’s very much on his way to being one of the survivors of this disease,” Spottiswoode told a group of her colleagues in October 2022.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
5 Ways to Deal With Brain Fog, According to the ExpertsKeep forgetting things? Brain fog could be behind it.
Weiterlesen »
Why Cannabis Could Benefit the Middle-Aged BrainCannabis affects people differently depending on their age—and it may be particularly beneficial to aging brains. Here's why.
Weiterlesen »
Why the Human Brain Takes Decades to DevelopFor the human brain, adolescent development spans from the age of 10 into the mid 20s. During this time, new neurological connections are forming alongside social experience to connect the thinking and feeling centers in the human mind.
Weiterlesen »
Goodbye coffee, hello brain stimulation? People are zapping their brains at home to clear brain fogBrain stimulation comes in many different forms, but they are all centered on the same idea: sending tiny zaps to specific parts of the brain to alter its activity.
Weiterlesen »
Your native tongue holds a special place in your brain, even if you speak 10 languagesA new neuroimaging study peered inside the minds of polyglots—someone who speaks more than five languages—to reveal how their brains respond to both familiar and unfamiliar languages.
Weiterlesen »
MRIs show stress from poverty, racism may alter brain development of black children, study saysResearchers found that increased stressors like economic hardship and systemic racism play a significant role for Black children and can lead to the development of mental health issues as they age, the study said.
Weiterlesen »