Naegleria Fowleri

Facts for Prelims

Naegleria Fowleri

News: A 15-year-old boy has died in Kerala’s Alappuzha district due to a rare brain infection primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) caused by Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as ‘brain-eating amoeba’.

What is Naegleria Fowleri?
• Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba (a single-celled living organism) that lives in soil and warm fresh water, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs.
• It is a rare but very serious and usually fatal disease. It causes inflammation and destruction of the brain tissue, leading to symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, and coma.
• People can get infected with Naegleria fowleri when they swim, dive, or put their heads under fresh water that is contaminated with the amoeba.
• Naegleria fowleri infection cannot be spread from person to person or by drinking contaminated water. It also cannot be spread by water vapor or aerosol droplets (such as shower mist or vapor from a humidifier).
• Naegleria fowleri infection is very difficult to diagnose and treat. Most people die within a week of developing symptoms.
• The only drug that has been effective against the amoeba is called miltefosine, but it is not widely available and has serious side effects.