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Brain-eating Amoeba (Naegleria fowleri)
Context
A five-year-old girl in Malappuram district of Kerala lost her life as she was afflicted by amoebic meningoencephalitis, which is a rare brain infection. The brain infection was caused by a free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, found in contaminated waters.
About
- Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba”, is a species of the genus Naegleria.
- It belongs to the phylum Percolozoa and is technically classified as an amoeboflagellate excavate, rather than a true amoeba.
- This free-living microorganism primarily feeds on bacteria but can become pathogenic in humans, causing an extremely rare, sudden, severe, and usually fatal brain infection known as naegleriasis or primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
- Naegleria fowleri is a thermophilic and free-living amoeba, primarily found in warm and hot freshwater environments such as ponds, lakes, rivers, hot springs, and poorly maintained swimming pools.
- fowleri exists in three forms: cyst, trophozoite (ameboid), and biflagellate.
- The most common way of being infected by this type of amoeba happens when infected water goes into your nose. From there, the amoeba goes to your brain.
- Infection with Naegleria causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis which causes inflammation in the brain and destruction of brain tissue.
- Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, seizures, altered mental state, sleepiness or drowsiness, loss of balance, severe and sudden headache, stiff neck, photophobia - sensitivity to light, and hallucinations.
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