A nine-year-old girl from Kerala died a few days ago due to a rare brain infection caused by a free-living amoeba in contaminated water. A senior health official reported that the child was admitted to a hospital with a fever on Aug. 13. Her condition deteriorated, prompting her transfer to Kozhikode Medical College on Aug. 14, where she died the same day, according to an NDTV report.
Tests conducted at the microbiology lab of the medical college where the girl was admitted confirmed amoebic encephalitis as the cause of her death.
Understanding Amoebic Encephalitis
Amoebic encephalitis, often referred to as a “brain-eating amoeba” infection, is caused by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism found worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the amoeba can cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) if contaminated water enters the nose and reaches the brain.
Symptoms
Early signs of PAM include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. The disease progresses rapidly. The CDC notes that the infection usually leads to coma and death within five days. As PAM advances, additional symptoms can include a stiff neck, confusion, disorientation, loss of balance and hallucinations.
How People Get Infected
Exposure to Naegleria fowleri is usually linked to swimming or diving in lakes, rivers, or other warm freshwater during the summer months. The CDC explains that prolonged heat can increase water temperatures and reduce water levels, creating favourable conditions for the amoeba. In rare cases, infections have occurred when people used tap water containing the amoeba to rinse their sinuses. However, it is not transmitted from person to person.
Recreational water sources such as splash pads or surf parks with insufficient chlorine levels have also been linked to infections.
Preventive Measures
The CDC recommends some precautions to reduce the risk of infection:
Hold your nose or wear a nose clip when jumping or diving into fresh water.
Keep your head above water in hot springs.
Avoid digging or stirring up shallow water where the amoeba is more likely to thrive.
Use distilled or boiled tap water when rinsing sinuses or cleansing nasal passages.
Treatment Challenges
PAM caused by Naegleria fowleri destroys brain tissue and causes swelling of the brain. According to the CDC, over 97% of people diagnosed with PAM have died from the infection. Its rapid progression has made finding effective treatments extremely difficult, though some evidence suggests certain drugs may help in rare cases.
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