2023-04-29 17:06:47
Naegleria Fowleri (Brain-Eating Amoeba) In NewsSouth Korea reported its first case of the rare yet fatal infection – Naegleria fowleri or “brain-eating amoeba”.About It is a
single-celled organism which can infect humans.
It was first discovered in
Australia in 1965 and is commonly found in warm freshwater bodies, such as hot
springs, rivers and lakes. According to the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the rising global temperatures.
The organism best grows in high temperatures up to
46°C and sometimes can survive at even higher temperatures.
The amoeba enters the human body through the
nose and then travels up to the brain. In some cases, it was found that people got infected when they
cleaned their nostrils with contaminated water. Scientists haven’t found any evidence of the spreading of Naegleria fowleri through
water vapour or aerosol droplets. Once Naegleria fowleri goes to the brain, it destroys brain tissues and causes a dangerous infection known as
primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The first signs of PAM start showing within one to
12 days after the infection. In the initial stages, they might be similar to
symptoms of meningitis, which are headache, nausea and fever. In the later stages, one can suffer from a
stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations, and even coma.
As the Naegleria fowleri infection is
rare and progresses quickly, scientists haven’t been able to identify any effective treatments yet.
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