2023, Vol. 5, Issue 1, Part A

A brain-eating amoeba is called Naegleria Fowleri. It is fatal because it usually results in death 3 to 7 days following the onset of symptoms. Although the first instance of the brain-eating amoeba was discovered in Australia, it is thought to have originated in the United States. Warm water sources, slowly moving rivers, untreated swimming pools, and untreated drinking water supplies are all places where it can be found. It enters the body through the nose and can result in a coma, seizures, changed mental status, headache, fever, stiff neck, loss of appetite, and vomiting. It can even cause death. Naegleria Fowleri is known as the "brain-eating amoeba" because it consumes brain tissue. It results in primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a risky infection (PAM).

Recently, A 50-year-old person just passed away in South Korea as a result of this deadly virus. He is thought to have brought this Naegleria Fowleri illness with him from Thailand, where he spent 4 months before coming back to South Korea. Microscopic Naegleria Fowleri is present. The Nagleria Fowleri infection is challenging to diagnose. Only when a doctor suspects PAM and suggests a biopsy will specialized lab testing be used to find the amoeba in the patient's cerebrospinal fluid. Not every laboratory performs specific tests. PAM is uncommon and challenging to identify and detect; 75% of diagnoses are typically made after the disease has claimed a victim's life. The correct treatment of municipal water or swimming pools can stop this dangerous infection.

Naegleria Fowleri has so far been identified as the source of PAM in over 16 nations, including India, and has been discovered on all continents. The CDC predicts that as temperatures rise around the world, more people will become infected with Naegleria Fowleri since the amoeba primarily lives in warm freshwater bodies. The organism may sometimes survive at even greater temperatures and thrives best in high temperatures up to 46 °C.