A patient in California, USA, with rare and usually fatal Balamuthia mandrillaris granulomatous amebic encephalitis survived after receiving treatment with a regimen that included the repurposed drug nitroxoline. Nitroxoline, which is a quinolone typically used to treat urinary tract infections, was identified in a screen for drugs with amebicidal activity against Balamuthia.
Keywords: Balamuthia mandrillaris; Infectious encephalitis; ameba; ameba drug effects; granulomatous amebic encephalitis; meningitis/encephalitis; nitroxoline; parasites.