BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA - SCI & TECH
News: Kerala
boy dies due to brain-eating amoeba
What's in the news?
● A
15-year-old boy in Kerala’s Alappuzha district has died due to a rare infection
caused by Naegleria fowleri or
“brain-eating amoeba” after a week of high fever and rapid deterioration in his
vitals.
Key takeaways:
● It
is found in warm natural water bodies
and enters the body through the nasal cavity, causing fatal brain infection.
Naegleria
fowleri:
● Naegleria fowleri,
commonly known as “brain-eating amoeba,” is a single-cell organism found in a warm freshwater environment such as
lakes, hot springs and even in poorly
maintained swimming pools.
● Only
one species of Naegleria, Naegleria
fowleri, infects people.
Disease:
● The
amoeba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain, leading to a
severe and usually fatal brain infection known as primary amebic
meningoencephalitis (PAM).
● It
affects the brain by causing inflammation and destruction of brain tissue.
● Brain-eating
amoeba can be fatal, with a recorded death
rate of 97 percent. The chances of survival from this infection are
unfortunately low.
Symptoms:
● The
symptoms usually appear within a week of infection and include severe headache,
fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, seizures and hallucinations.
● As
the infection progresses, the patient can slip into coma and ultimately death.
● The
amoeba’s ability to rapidly destroy brain tissue makes it a highly lethal
infection. Prompt medical intervention is crucial but even with treatment, the
survival rate is low.
Vulnerable conditions:
● Warm water temperatures,
particularly during the summer months, create favourable conditions for the
amoeba’s growth.
● Poorly maintained
swimming pools or contaminated water sources
increase the risk of exposure.
● Activities
like diving or jumping into warm freshwater bodies can force water up the nose,
providing an entry point for the amoeba.
● It
grows best at temperatures above 46
degree celsius. Although trophozoites are killed rapidly by refrigeration,
cysts can survive even extreme cold.
Spread:
● It
is typically acquired through the nasal passage and mouth when a person goes swimming, diving, or even uses contaminated
water for religious rituals.
● The
amoeba then migrates through the olfactory nerve to the brain, where it causes
severe inflammation and destruction of brain tissue.
Transmission:
● Naegleria fowleri
infection does not spread from person to person, nor does it manifest symptoms
when contracted in other forms.
● The
infection is primarily associated with a warm freshwater environment,
especially during hot summer months when water temperatures are higher.
Therefore, they usually flourish between July and September.
Preventive measures:
● Preventive
measures such as avoiding warm
freshwater bodies with inadequate chlorination, using nose clips during
water-related activities, and using sterile water for nasal cleansing rituals
can help reduce the risk of contracting Naegleria fowleri infection.