The amoeba phase is sensitive to changes in the environment. Rapid drying kills the amoeba.
Drying: Drying appears to make trophozoites nonviable instantaneously and cysts nonviable in less than 5 minutes. Temperature: Naegleria fowleri is a heat-loving (thermophilic) ameba able to grow and survive at higher temperatures, such as those found in hot springs and in the human body, even under fever temperatures.
Usually, the amoeba lives in freshwater bodies of water that are warm, including hot springs (geothermal water). You can also be infected by inhaling infected dust.
Naegleria fowleri, also known as the “brain-eating ameba,” occurs naturally in freshwater bodies, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. Infections with Naegleria fowleri are rare, and they occur mainly during the warmer months of July, August, and September.
It is commonly called the “brain-eating ameba” because it can cause a brain infection when water containing the ameba goes up the nose. Only about three people in the United States get infected each year, but these infections are usually fatal.
Infections from Naegleria fowleri are possible when people use contaminated tap water in nasal rinses. A man in southwest Florida died after becoming infected with a rare brain-eating amoeba, which state health officials say was "possibly as a result of sinus rinse practices utilizing tap water."
Symptoms can be mild at first, but they worsen quickly. Symptoms usually start about 5 days after infection (range 1–9 days) and can include headache, fever, nausea or vomiting. Later symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations.
PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: Heating water to 50ºC for 5 minutes will kill all forms of the amoebae 17. Both amoeba and cysts can tolerate temperature of 65ºC for 1-3 minutes and temperatures below 20ºC inhibit reproduction 15.
Infection can usually be prevented by either holding your nose as you jump into water or by using a nose plug. Naegleria fowleri cannot infect you by drinking water that contains the ameba.
Studies show that many people may have antibodies to N. fowleri. That suggests that they became infected with the amoeba but that their immune systems fought it off.
Using water from home rainwater tanks has not been linked to infections with Naegleria fowleri.
The symptoms are often quite mild and can include loose feces (poop), stomach pain, and stomach cramping. Amebic dysentery is a severe form of amebiasis associated with stomach pain, bloody stools (poop), and fever. Rarely, E. histolytica invades the liver and forms an abscess (a collection of pus).
There is no evidence that Naegleria fowleri can spread through water vapor or aerosol droplets (such as shower mist or vapor from a humidifier). People cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri by drinking contaminated water.
N. fowleri cannot survive in water that is clean, cool and chlorinated. Free chlorine or chloramines at 0.5mg/L or higher will control N. fowleri, provided that the disinfectant persists through the water supply system.
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is treated with a combination of drugs, often including amphotericin B, azithromycin, fluconazole, rifampin, miltefosine, and dexamethasone. These drugs are used because they are thought to be effective against Naegleria fowleri and have been used to treat patients who survived.
What temperatures put water at risk for Naegleria? Naegleria fowleri enjoys warm temperatures. It grows best at high temperatures up to 115°F (46°C) and is less likely to be found in the water as temperatures decline below 77°F (25°C). Waters with total chlorine levels above 0.5mg/L also have decreased N.
We used epidemiologic risk factors and multiple cause-of-death mortality data to estimate the number of deaths that fit the typical pattern for primary amebic meningoencephalitis; we estimated an annual average of 16 deaths (8 male, 8 female) in the United States.
At elevations above 6,500 feet, boil for 3 minutes. Use water with a label specifying that it is distilled or sterile water. If boiled, distilled, or sterile water is not available, use a water filter designed to remove harmful germs.
"This headache was different. It felt more like — the description that I kept saying at the hospital was that it felt like there was a smooth rock on top of my head, and someone was pushing it down," Deleon later told Click Orlando.
The majority of people who are infected with this parasite will experience no symptoms. Those who do become sick may experience mild or severe symptoms. The mild form of amebiasis includes nausea (a feeling of sickness in the stomach), diarrhea (loose stool/poop), weight loss, stomach tenderness, and occasional fever.
The diagnosis of Naegleria fowleri infection can be made by microscopic examination of fresh, unfrozen, unrefrigerated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). A wet mount of freshly centrifuged CSF sediment might demonstrate actively moving trophozoites.
Since Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose, it is critical to prevent water going up the nose. DO NOT allow water to go up your nose or sniff water into your nose when bathing, showering, washing your face, or swimming in small hard plastic/blow-up pools.
Water Filtration
Water filters are another efficient method of eliminating brain-eating amoeba in water. Most water filters are designed to be effective against most contaminants in water, including microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and protozoans.
Symptoms may include: sore throat. headache and pain in the forehead. hallucinations (sensory experiences that are created in the mind)