Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba

Naegleria fowleri, known as brain-eating amoeba, poses a severe risk to human health and has been linked to fatal cases of brain infection. It typically thrives in warm freshwater, including lakes and rivers, geothermal water, and untreated drinking water sources.

Infections occur when water containing the 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞, often during activities such as swimming, diving, or submerging the head in freshwater environments such as lakes and rivers. Subsequently, the amoeba ascends through the nasal passages to the brain, where 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞, causing a severe infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).

Although rare, PAM carries an overwhelmingly 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬. Symptoms include stiff neck, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, and coma. with 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝟏 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟖 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬. People cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by drinking contaminated water. In the United States, the annual diagnoses ranged from zero to five cases between 2013 and 2022, with only 29 infections documented during this period.

𝐓𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, it is recommended to wear nose clips while swimming or avoid fully submerging the head in hot springs or any untreated geothermal water sources.