Balamuthia mandrillaris
| Balamuthia mandrillaris | |
|---|---|
| Trophozoite (active) form of Balamuthia mandrillaris | |
| A Balamuthia mandrillaris cyst | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | Balamuthiidae |
| Genus: | Balamuthia Visvesvara et al., 1993 |
| Species: | B. mandrillaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Balamuthia mandrillaris Visvesvara et al., 1993 | |
Balamuthia mandrillaris is a free-living amoeba that causes the rare but deadly neurological condition granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE). B. mandrillaris is a soil-dwelling amoeba and was first discovered in 1986 in the brain of a mandrill that died in the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
B. mandrillaris can infect the body through open wounds or possibly by inhalation. Balamuthia has been isolated from soil. It is believed to be distributed throughout the temperate regions of the world. This is supported somewhat by the detection of antibodies to the protist in healthy individuals.
The generic name Balamuthia was given by Govinda Visvesvara, after his mentor, parasitologist William Balamuth, for his contributions to the study of amoebae. Visvesvara isolated and studied the pathogen for the first time in 1993.