Beware of swimming with brain eaters.. What's the story?

Arab Weather - With the summer heat, swimming seems to be a favorite sport for everyone, but it may be a deadly danger if it is not done in a suitable place. 3 children died in the Indian state of Kerala in less than a month and a half due to a germ known as “brain-eating” , which they were infected with while swimming. Swimming in contaminated pools.

According to the NDTV website, the National Health Observatory in India defines this bacterium as a small organism that lives in warm fresh water, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs, and it can adapt to live in shallow and polluted water as well.

The website warned of the danger of contracting it while swimming or diving, or even bathing in polluted water, as the germ enters through the nose, is transmitted to the brain and spreads quickly, which requires immediate treatment, otherwise it may cause death within two weeks of infection.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provided advice to residents to prevent infection, calling for people to stay away from water activities in the warmer months, and to use nose clips and glasses.

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What is a brain-eating amoeba?

The amoeba Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism found in soil and warm fresh water around the world, where it lives freely and eats bacteria. This amoeba causes a rare and very severe brain infection, known as Naegleriasis or primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is usually fatal.

The brain-eating amoeba lives naturally in warm freshwater such as swimming pools, lakes, and ponds, where it thrives at high temperatures. According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), infection usually occurs when people swim or dive in “warm fresh water,” where the amoeba enters the body through the nose and then travels to the brain.

The CDC notes that people cannot become infected by swallowing contaminated water, because stomach acid kills single-celled microorganisms. Also, the infection is not transmitted from one person to another. Officials warn against rinsing your nasal passages with untreated tap water, preferring to use sterile or distilled water. Tap water can also be used if it is boiled for at least one minute and then cooled before use.

• Symptoms of infection:

Symptoms appear one to nine days (average five days) after nasal exposure to the amoeba. Symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, altered mental status, coma, blurred vision, and loss of sense of taste. Later symptoms include neck stiffness, confusion, lack of attention, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations. Once symptoms appear, death usually occurs within two weeks.

• Is there a cure?

Naegleria fowleri infection is rare, with only three confirmed cases in the United States last year, according to official figures. Cases occur after freshwater exposure in Iowa, Arizona, and Nebraska. There were three cases each in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Amphotericin is the primary treatment for brain-eating amoeba, as it works by “inactivating the pathogen (i.e. the amoeba) by binding to cell membrane sterols, leading to membrane rupture and death of the pathogen.” However, even with this treatment, the mortality rate is higher than 95%. Two people survived after trying a new drug called Miltefosine, but the severe damage caused by the amoeba to the brain makes it difficult to deal with.

While new treatments are being researched, a key factor for effective treatment is speed of diagnosis, which is rare and rapid laboratory identification of microorganisms can help avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment.

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