[1]: 422 Balamuthia mandrillarisis a free-living amoeba (a single-celled living organism) found in the environment.
It is one of the causes of granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), a serious infection of the brain and spinal cord.
Balamuthia is thought to enter the body when soil containing it comes in contact with skin wounds and cuts, or when dust containing it is breathed in or gets in the mouth.
The Balamuthia amoebae can then travel to the brain through the bloodstream and cause GAE.
[2] Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first discovered Balamuthia mandrillaris in 1986.