Yes, the Brain-Feeding Amoeba Are Real
Recently in Texas, a boy died of an infection that headlines call “the brain-eating amoeba.” Unlike other catchy nicknames for little-known life forms (remember the killer hornets ?), This accurately describes the organism in question. It is an amoeba, and on rare occasions it does feed on human brain tissue.
What actually causes this infection?
Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba , a single-celled creature that is larger than a virus or bacteria, but still microscopic. N. fowleri lives in warm water, so you can find it in hot springs or summer lakes in warmer parts of the world. Its common food is likely other microscopic creatures such as bacteria, but it can also feed on human brain tissue.
How does it get to your brain?
We don’t have to worry about swallowing N. fowleri – our stomach will digest it. It also does not spread by surface or coughing. No, it seems to require that the water containing the amoeba go straight into our nose.
This is why it is so rare, because how often do you spray your nose with warm water? Most N. fowleri infections can be attributed to swimming or splashing in warm water; but if you are using a neti pot to rinse your nose, follow the CDC guidelines to boil or filter the water, or buy distilled water to make sure there are no amoebas in it.
How does it kill you?
Once the amoeba enters your nose, it finds the nerves connecting the pharynx to the brain and begins to feed on the olfactory bulbs – the part of your brain that is involved in smelling. Loss of smell and taste is often one of the first signs of infection.
From the olfactory bulbs, it travels to the rest of the brain, where it can be deadly.
As soon as your immune system notices that your brain is being eaten, it sends in immune cells and triggers an inflammatory response. Your brain gets eaten up and it is also attacked by your own immune system. (Inflammation is the immune system trying to help , but collateral damage can also occur. This results in a condition called primary amoebic encephalitis , or PAM.
Most of the known cases of PAM have been fatal, but there are some experimental treatments that appear to be successful.
Will it be for me next time?
The good news about N. fowleri infection is that it is very rare. Since the 1960s, only 145 cases have been reported in the United States. In some years there are zero; in others, only a few.
Because he prefers warm water, cases are more common in warmer parts of the United States such as Texas and Florida. In most of the northern half of the United States , no cases have been reported at all .
In everyday life, there are no special measures that could be prevented. When someone infects an amoeba from a swimming or splash pit, there are usually thousands of people swimming there without any side effects. We don’t know why some people are susceptible, and according to the CDC, we don’t have a reliable way to test water to determine if it’s safe or not.
The best thing you can do is convince yourself that this rarely happens and make sure you are safe if you deliberately spray your nose with water.