Naegleria Fowleri (Brain-Eating Amoeba)

South Korea reported its first case of the rare yet fatal infection – Naegleria fowleri or “brain-eating amoeba”.


◾️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.