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Is a brain-eating amoeba really eating your brain? - Walla! health

2022-08-22T04:37:10.069Z


It is a scary and very rare infection but the truth is that it can be avoided in most cases. So what exactly is a "brain-eating amoeba", what are the symptoms of the disease and most importantly - how do you avoid it?


Is a brain-eating amoeba really eating your brain?

It is a scary and very rare infection but the truth is that it can be avoided in most cases.

So what exactly is a "brain-eating amoeba", what are the symptoms of the disease and most importantly - how do you avoid it?

Voila system!

health

22/08/2022

Monday, August 22, 2022, 06:06 Updated: 07:30

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scary.

An amoeba eats a brain (Photo: ShutterStock)

There is nothing more necessary this summer, and in the Israeli summer in general, a dip in some pleasant water source, or a spring, preferably secret and isolated.

Unfortunately, as we learn every summer anew - a brain-eating amoeba may be lurking there.



There have been quite a few cases of brain-eating amoeba during the last few years around the world, even one case here in Israel.

At the beginning of last August, it was reported that the 36-year-old resident of the north, with no underlying diseases, died following a brain infection caused by a rare amoeba called Naegleria Fowleri.

This is a rare case, which was diagnosed thanks to the vigilance of a doctor specializing in infectious diseases at the Furia Hospital in Tiberias who suspected the diagnosis and involved the district health bureau and the central laboratory of the Ministry of Health.

This week it was published in the USA that a child died after swimming in the Elkhorn River in eastern Nebraska, with the main suspect in his death being a brain-eating amoeba.



So what is a brain-eating amoeba, what are the symptoms of the disease and how careful must one be?

What is a brain-eating amoeba?

As mentioned, this organism is called Naegleria fowleri - a single-celled animal that lives in fresh water sources such as hot springs, lakes and rivers, as well as untreated swimming pools.

Despite its name, its normal diet does not usually include human brains, but other organisms such as bacteria found in river and lake sediments.

eating the brain?

GIF of a brain (Photo: Giphy)

It is important to emphasize that the disease is considered rare and its mortality rate is high.

So far, only 400 cases of infection have been reported worldwide.

And yet it is preventable: just try to avoid entering unknown lakes and water sources, and even if you do, try to avoid splashing in the water that could push water up your nose.



The most dangerous period for infections with bacteria and predatory amoebas is during the summer heat waves, when the water temperature rises and the amount of water decreases.

And if that's not enough, there is concern that climate change will change the prevalence of this parasite and as the Earth warms, and the water warms, there will be more potential infection sites for these amoebas.

How is the brain-eating amoeba contagious?

To become infected with this amoeba, the water has to come up the nose, and this is often done by swimming, playing in the water, or diving into the infected water sources.

It is important to emphasize that it is impossible to get infected by drinking contaminated water, and the amoeba does not spread from person-to-person contact either.



The amoeba actually penetrates the nasal tissue, passes into the nasal cavity and continues to the brain through the olfactory nerves.

In the brain the amoeba can eat, grow and spread throughout the organ.

The eating is the one that causes the problems, since the amoeba swallows cells, and this causes bleeding and death of tissues and in addition produces an acute inflammatory reaction.

These events cause swelling of the brain and an increase in cranial pressure, this leads to amoebic meningitis, after which the person can enter a coma and die.

What are the symptoms?

Officials explained that it can take several days to feel the effects of the infection and symptoms can appear from one to 12 days after infection.

In the first stage, the person will get a severe headache, sore throat, fever, nausea and vomiting, convulsions and eventually even coma and death.

In the second stage, the person will often develop a stiff neck, which can be misdiagnosed as classic meningitis, and may experience seizures and hallucinations.

Is there a treatment for this infection?

Due to the very rapid nature of this disease, it is very important to diagnose it as quickly as possible.

Because sometimes a delay of even a few hours can be fatal.

The infection is very rare, and as such, there have not been many clinical studies conducted on it.

However, five survival cases have been recorded, four from the US and one from Mexico. These people survived after early diagnosis and a very intensive protocol of treatments. In some cases, the patient is cooled below normal body temperature to try to help reduce the swelling of the brain.

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Source: walla

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