Kerala teenager fights back rare dual brain infections from brink of death

A 17-year-old Kerala boy who battled amoebic meningoencephalitis and a fungal infection in the brain at the same time has been brought back to life. Cases where a single patient suffers from both conditions are extremely rare worldwide, and survival from such a situation is rarer still. The boy, a student from Shooranad in Kollam, made the recovery through advanced treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College, Health Minister Veena George said.

What triggered the infection
The teenager developed brain encephalitis after bathing in a pond three months ago. Within a week, he lost consciousness and experienced paralysis on the left side of his body. Initially admitted to Alappuzha Medical College, his condition worsened, leading to his transfer to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. There, neurosurgeons had to perform two surgeries to remove pus from his brain.

What helped the survival
During examination of the sample collected in the second surgery, doctors detected the presence of Aspergillus flavus, a dangerous fungus. His recovery became possible after medicos altered his medications and launched an intensive treatment regimen. According to doctors, his remarkable survival was possible only because the disease was identified at the earliest stage and because the surgeries were carried out promptly.

The diagnosis was first confirmed by a team led by Dr Shanimole, Head of the Microbiology wing at Alappuzha Medical College. The surgeries were carried out under the leadership of Dr Sunil Kumar, Superintendent of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and a neurosurgery specialist. Neurosurgeons Dr Raj S Chandran, Dr L P Jyothish, and Dr Rajakutty were also part of the treatment team.