ameba mangiacervello

What is the “brain-eating” amoeba, where is it found, what are the symptoms and why is it so dangerous

The so-called “brain-eating amoeba” is the common name of the Naegleria fowleria unicellular eukaryotic organism that can move through specific extrusions and is mainly found in fresh, warm water (up to 46°C) in dirty pools, hot springs, lakes and rivers. The nickname “brain eater” derives from the fact that this organism causes man primary amoebic meningoencephalitisa very rare and extremely lethal brain infection (he has a 97% mortality) for which there is currently no cure. The infection is sudden and complete brain tissue necrosis. It is only contracted if contaminated water enters the nose, since it is from here that this amoeba then reaches the brain, where it develops the infection.

Where can you find the “brain-eating” amoeba

The brain-eating amoeba lives exclusively in water Sweet and hotgenerally with temperatures between 26 hey 46°Calthough they have sometimes been seen to proliferate even in lower temperatures, especially in swimming pools exposed to the sun and not well disinfected. This type of amoeba can therefore be found in the waters of lakes And riverswastewater, water heaters, groundwater, hot springs, untreated drinking water, tap waterwater heaters, swimming pools (in particular swimming pools treated with insufficient chlorine and exposed to the heat of the sun which increases their temperature).

It can be found anywhere in the world, but most cases come from the USAparticularly in the Southern Statesbut above all in Georgia, Florida and Texas, this is due to the particular heat present especially in the summer and spring months and the lack of attention to cleaning swimming pools and decontaminating the water.

Naegleria fowleri
Naegleria fowleri. Credit: USCDC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How primary amoebic meningoencephalitis is contracted

The only way to contract the disease generated by the brain-eating amoeba is through the nose. In fact, this organism can only reach the brain if it enters through the nose. In particular, once aspirated from the nose, it binds to the olfactory mucosa and passes through it, reaching the blood vessels and finally using the olfactory nerve to get to lower cerebral cavities. Once it gets here it starts to cause necrosis, inflammation And swelling. At this point the immune system intervenes and creates a inflammatory reaction very sharp cascade. which causes the disease to progress and increases the neuronal damage.

Many cases of amebic meningoencephalitis are due to nasal washes made with contaminated tap water and frequenting swimming pools contaminated.

The infection caused by the brain-eating amoeba is not transmitted from one patient to another either by drinking contaminated water or by aerosol droplets suspended in the air in very humid environments. The water control in the summer months is crucial to avoid the transmission of this type of infection, because the water in pipes and swimming pools, for example, undergoes temperature increase due to summer heatand therefore the possibility of proliferation of the amoeba increases greatly.

Symptoms of brain-eating amoeba infection

Symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis usually appear later 5 days (sometimes they appear up to 12 days after the amoeba enters the nose). Initially they are indistinguishable from those of the bacterial meningitisand appear at the same time loss of smellfever, nausea and vomiting, photophobia (light hypersensitivity), heachache And stiffness in the neck. Subsequently, excessive drowsiness, convulsions, hallucinations, confusion and coma appear.

There death happens in about 10 days. The infection is extremely lethal: in 60 years only 5 people out of 154 were saved after having contracted it; most survivors have lost the use of speech and/or lower limbs. The treatment includes a cocktail of antifungals And antibioticsbut mortality remains very high and, in fact, drugs almost always become ineffective.