Naegleria fowleri is an extremely lethal organism, but cases of infection are rare
(Picture: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)A child has died in Nebraska after developing a suspected infection from the brain-eating amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri, which they likely caught while swimming in a river.
The child, whose age has not been disclosed, died this week in Douglas County, its health department has said.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting further tests to confirm the infection, which was thought to have been contracted after a swim in the Elkhorn River on August 8, as symptoms developed five days after.
The child was admitted to hospital 48 hours after being exposed, but died days later, said Dr Kari Neemann, a pediatric infectious disease physician and a medical adviser for Douglas County.
Elsewhere, a Florida teen, Caleb Ziegelbauer, spent nearly two weeks in an ICU at the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers. He was left fighting for his life after contracting the bacteria while on a trip to the beach, NBC reported on Tuesday.
Doctors believe that Caleb contracted the bacteria when he was visiting Port Charlotte beaches with his family on July 1.
Here’s everything you need to know about the organism.
What is Naegleria fowleri?
Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba that’s commonly found in freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds throughout the US, the Nabraska health department said.
“It can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis [PAM], a brain infection that may result when water containing the amoeba rushes up the nose and reaches the brain,” the department said. “The infection is extremely rare, but nearly always fatal.”
The microscopic organism typically lives in warm freshwaters and can cause an infection in swimmers, the CDC has said.
There have only been 154 reports of PAM since 1962 in the United States.
PAM does not occur by drinking water – the amoeba must travel through the nose to the brain to cause a deadly infection.
Only five people are known to have survived the disease in the United States and did so following treatment with a combination of drugs, according to the CDC.
Infection can be prevented by using nose plugs while swimming in non-chlorinated water.
What are the symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection?
Naegleria fowleri leads to the disease primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue, similar to amoebic meningitis.
Typical symptoms of infection include severe frontal headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting in the initial stages, before more serious signs of an infection, such as a stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations and coma, reports the Independent.
After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about 5 days.
Where has Naegleria fowleri been found?
The majority of cases of Naegleria fowleri have been discovered in warm freshwater bodies, such as lakes, with a majority of cases occurring in the southern US – with 40 cases in Texas, 36 cases in Florida, and 10 cases in California.
It is a heat-loving organism, that grows best in warm water, especially between 25C and 46C. Any water body that seasonally exceeds 30C or continually exceeds 25C can support its growth.
It can potentially occur in any body of warm fresh water, including:
- lakes, rivers and dams
- bores, tanks and pipelines
- other natural hot waters such as hot springs
- swimming pools that are poorly maintained, under-chlorinated or unchlorinated
The organism was first identified in South Australia during the 1960s, with a number of cases of infection occurring in towns served by unchlorinated water, delivered through pipelines.
Since 1981, there have been no cases in South Australia, following the chlorination of the water supply, alongside a public education campaign.
Studies that have been carried out by the CDC on brain-eating amoeba suggest that climate change could be behind a number of cases that have occurred in northern states, reports the Independent.
Julia Haston, a medical epidemiologist, said that rising air temperatures may be having an impact. “It’s an amoeba that really likes warm conditions, really likes warm fresh water,” said Haston. “That’s the concern – that climate change can be contributing to these higher air temperatures.”
How can infection be prevented?
Measures to prevent infection include:
- Avoid jumping into bodies of warm freshwater or thermal pools.
- Keep your head above water in spas, thermal pools and warm freshwater bodies.
- Empty and clean small collapsible wading pools and let them dry in the sun after each use.
- Ensure swimming pools and spas are adequately chlorinated and well maintained.
- Flush stagnant water from hoses before allowing children to play with hoses or sprinklers.
- If you are using unchlorinated water, don’t allow water to go up your nose while washing.
- Supervise children playing with hoses or sprinklers, and teach them to not get water up their noses.
- Do not use potentially contaminated water for nasal irrigation or lavage.
