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Emerging Transplant Infections pp 1–22Cite as

Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, and Balamuthia in Transplant Patients: An Emerging Threat

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Abstract

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are ubiquitous in the environment. Although they rarely cause infection in humans, when they do so, the infection is often severe and diagnosed late. The three most clinically relevant genera of FLA are Acanthamoeba spp., Naegleria fowleri, and Balamuthia mandrillaris. An increasing body of literature points to these organisms as potential disease-causing agents in immunocompromised and transplant patients, particularly with regard to donor-derived infections. This chapter will review the salient features, diagnostic modalities, and therapeutic recommendations of these infections in transplant patients.

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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Yoram A. Puius

  2. Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Margaret L. Aldrich

  3. Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jennifer R. Cope

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  1. Yoram A. Puius
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  2. Margaret L. Aldrich
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  3. Jennifer R. Cope
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Correspondence to Yoram A. Puius .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Michele I. Morris

  2. Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    Camille Nelson Kotton

  3. Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Camille Wolfe

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  1. Infectious Diseases Division, Harvard University Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Camille Nelson Kotton

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Puius, Y.A., Aldrich, M.L., Cope, J.R. (2020). Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, and Balamuthia in Transplant Patients: An Emerging Threat. In: Morris, M., Kotton, C., Wolfe, C. (eds) Emerging Transplant Infections. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01751-4_58-1

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    in Transplant Patients: An Emerging Threat
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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01751-4_58-3

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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01751-4_58-2

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    in Transplant Patients: An Emerging Threat
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    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01751-4_58-1

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