Naegleria fowleri
An amoeba living in some lakes has been entering humans through the nose and attacking the brain where it feeds. Encounters with the amoeba are rare, though it has killed six people this summer alone. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future. According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004.
This year health officials have found three cases in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s. Infections tend to be found in southern states. But, Naegleria lives almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment. People become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom.
If someone allows water to shoot up the nose, the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve. People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes.
Most people who are infected, have little chance of survival. Some drugs have stopped the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive.
September 28, 2007 9:16 PM | Category: Animals