Fatal human eosinophilic meningo-encephalitis caused by CNS co-infection with Halicephalobus gingivalis and West Nile virus

M A Anwar; H N Gokozan; M K Ball; J Otero; B S McGwire

doi:10.1016/j.parint.2015.06.001

Fatal human eosinophilic meningo-encephalitis caused by CNS co-infection with Halicephalobus gingivalis and West Nile virus

Parasitol Int. 2015 Oct;64(5):417-20. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2015.06.001. Epub 2015 Jun 5.

Authors

M A Anwar¹, H N Gokozan², M K Ball², J Otero², B S McGwire³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
² Department of Pathology, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
³ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 26050925
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2015.06.001

Abstract

The saprophytic nematode Halicephalobus is a rare cause of fatal human meningo-encephalitis, and West Nile virus is neurotropic flavivirus implicated in a variety of clinical neurologic syndromes. Here we report a case of rapidly progressive CNS encephalopathy and death. Serologic, immuno-histochemical, histopathologic and nucleic acid studies demonstrate the presence of active Halicephalobus and West Nile virus in the CNS tissue. This is the first reported case of co-infection with these neurotropic pathogens.

Keywords: Eosinophilic encephalitis; Granuloma; Halicephalobus; West Nile virus.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Animals
Central Nervous System Helminthiasis / complications
Central Nervous System Helminthiasis / pathology*
Coinfection
Fatal Outcome
Female
Humans
Middle Aged
Nematoda / classification*
Nematode Infections / complications
Nematode Infections / parasitology*
Nematode Infections / pathology
West Nile Fever / complications
West Nile Fever / pathology*
West Nile virus / isolation & purification*