Molecular Diagnosis of Encephalitis/Meningoencephalitis Caused by Free-Living Amoebae from a Tertiary Center in India.

Background: Pathogenic free-living amoeba (FLA) such as spp., , and are causative agents of fatal amoebic encephalitis/meningoencephalitis. The diagnosis of such infections is challenging due to a lack of clinical suspicion and expertise in microscopic identification.

Evaluation of loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid diagnosis of keratitis.

Background: The clinical features of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) are non-specific and closely resemble bacterial, viral and fungal keratitis.

Materials And Methods: We compared loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with microscopy, non-nutrient agar (NNA) culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in clinical suspects of AK.

Results: Of 52 clinical samples (42 AK suspects and 10 proven bacterial, viral or fungal keratitis), 3 were positive by direct microscopy (sensitivity 60%, confidence interval [CI]: 17%-92.