Balamuthia infection is a skin ailment caused by Balamuthia that may cause a variety of skin lesions. Balamuthia mandrillaris is a single-celled organism that may be found in the environment. Granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) is a severe and uncommon brain disease that may be caused by this organism.
Balamuthia infections cannot be spread from person to person. Balamuthia is believed to enter the body when soil harboring the pathogen comes into contact with cuts and wounds on the skin or when dust containing the pathogen is inhaled. The amebas can go through the bloodstream to the brain after entering the body, where they can cause GAE.
Before the infection advances to the central nervous system, B. mandrillaris penetrates the skin and results in a skin lesion. The typical location of the classical skin lesion, a symptomless granulomatous plaque (a nodule composed of inflammatory cells), is the middle of the face. The nature of the plaque is frequently described as rubbery. There could be one or several lesions. The lesion may become larger (in some cases covering the entire face), and on occasion, smaller satellite lesions may form. Late-stage ulceration takes place. The lesion might occasionally affect the extremities.
