Naegleria fowleri - Simple Facts About Brain Eating Amoeba

Abstract

Year after year, the inhabitants of Karachi have to face the fear and panic of Naegleria fowleri which can cause deadly disease called meningoencephalitis. A common citizen remains extremely wary of what to do and what not to do. The health authorities do come up with awareness campaigns mounted on large sized billboards, yet the simple facts remains eluded to even majority of health care personnel. It was in 1958 that Culbertson and his colleagues first described the concept that free living soil and water amoebae can cause disease in humans. Since then number of fatal cases of acute meningoencephalitis have been reported.1 Naegleria is a free living amoeba, commonly found in warm freshwater for example, lakes, rivers, hot springs and soil. Only one of the specie of Naegleria known as Naegleria fowleri is pathogenic and infects humans. This parasite infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose. This normally occurs when people swim or dive in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers. The amoeba then travels up the nose to the brain via olfactory nerve where it destroys the brain tissue.2 As this amoeba can be found in warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, swimming pools that are poorly maintained, minimally chlorinated, and/or un-chlorinated, so the recreational water users should be aware that there will always be a low level risk of infection when entering these waters