Brain - Eating Amoeba
Amoebas are single-celled organisms. The so-called brain- eating amoeba is a species discovered in 1965. It usually lurks in warm freshwater bodies or untreated contaminated water. W
when it finds its way inside the human bod, it causes a rare yet deadly infection and inflammation in the brain and eventually destroys the brain tissues by "eating" it.
You can only get it when contaminated water with the brain- eating amoeba travels up your nose.
What Ia a Brain-Eating Amoeba?
There are several species of Naegleria but the fowleri species causes PAM. It was first identified in Australia, but this amoeba is believed to have evolved here in the U.S.
N. fowleri is microscopic: 8 micrometers to 15 micrometers in size, depending on its life stage and environment. By comparison is 40 to 50 micrometers wide.
Like other amoebas, Naegleria reproduces by cell division When conditions aren't right, the amoebas become inactive cysts. when conditions are favorable, the cysts turn into trophozoites- the feeding form of the amoeba.
Where Are Brain- Eating Amoebas Found?
Naegleria loves very warm water. It can survive in water as hot as 115F.
They are also found in warm places around the world. N. fowleri is found in:
*Warm lakes and ponds, and rock pits
*Mud puddles
*Warm, slow-flowing rivers, especially those with low water levels
*Untreated swimming pools and spas
*Untreated well water or untreated municipal waters
*Hot springs and other geothermal water sources
* Thermally polluted water, such as runoff from power plants
*Aquariums.
*Soil, including indoor dust
*Splash pads for children
*Water parks.
Naegleria can't live in saltwater, it can't survive in properly treated swimming pools or in properly treated municipal water. You also can't get it by drinking contaminated water.
What Are the First Symptoms?
*Headache
*Fever
*Stiff neck
*Loss of appetite
* Vomiting
*Altered mental state
*Seizures
*Coma
How D Amoebas Get into The Brain?
Studies suggest that N. fowleri amoebas are attracted to the chemicals that nerve cells use to communicate with one another. Once in the nose, the amoeba travel through the olfactory nerve (the nerve connected with the sense of smell)
into the frontal lobe of the brain.
Even though the N. fowleri amoebas are relatively common, they rarely cause brain disease.
Many people may have antibodies to N. fowleri. that suggests that they had become infected with the amoeba but that their immune system fought it off.
Credit: WebMD
when it finds its way inside the human bod, it causes a rare yet deadly infection and inflammation in the brain and eventually destroys the brain tissues by "eating" it.
You can only get it when contaminated water with the brain- eating amoeba travels up your nose.
What Ia a Brain-Eating Amoeba?
There are several species of Naegleria but the fowleri species causes PAM. It was first identified in Australia, but this amoeba is believed to have evolved here in the U.S.
N. fowleri is microscopic: 8 micrometers to 15 micrometers in size, depending on its life stage and environment. By comparison is 40 to 50 micrometers wide.
Like other amoebas, Naegleria reproduces by cell division When conditions aren't right, the amoebas become inactive cysts. when conditions are favorable, the cysts turn into trophozoites- the feeding form of the amoeba.
Where Are Brain- Eating Amoebas Found?
Naegleria loves very warm water. It can survive in water as hot as 115F.
They are also found in warm places around the world. N. fowleri is found in:
*Warm lakes and ponds, and rock pits
*Mud puddles
*Warm, slow-flowing rivers, especially those with low water levels
*Untreated swimming pools and spas
*Untreated well water or untreated municipal waters
*Hot springs and other geothermal water sources
* Thermally polluted water, such as runoff from power plants
*Aquariums.
*Soil, including indoor dust
*Splash pads for children
*Water parks.
Naegleria can't live in saltwater, it can't survive in properly treated swimming pools or in properly treated municipal water. You also can't get it by drinking contaminated water.
What Are the First Symptoms?
*Headache
*Fever
*Stiff neck
*Loss of appetite
* Vomiting
*Altered mental state
*Seizures
*Coma
How D Amoebas Get into The Brain?
Studies suggest that N. fowleri amoebas are attracted to the chemicals that nerve cells use to communicate with one another. Once in the nose, the amoeba travel through the olfactory nerve (the nerve connected with the sense of smell)
into the frontal lobe of the brain.
Even though the N. fowleri amoebas are relatively common, they rarely cause brain disease.
Many people may have antibodies to N. fowleri. that suggests that they had become infected with the amoeba but that their immune system fought it off.
Credit: WebMD