Home Australia Aussie swimmers warned about deadly brain-eating amoeba that lurks in some swimming spots

Aussie swimmers warned about deadly brain-eating amoeba that lurks in some swimming spots

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N. fowleri is a microscopic single-celled organism. It is commonly found in freshwater and soil, and thrives in warmer water temperatures ranging from 25°C to 40°C.

On hot summer days, going to the beach is a great way to have fun and cool off. But if you’re not near the salty ocean, you can choose to swim in a freshwater stream, river, lake, or pool.

These freshwater swimming holes are great, but they carry a hidden danger. While very rare, it can be fatal: a brain infection caused by a microbe widely known as a “brain-eating amoeba.”

The pathogen in question is called Naegleria fowleri. The “eating brains” part makes it sound like an unlikely sci-fi creature, but unfortunately it’s a real (and potentially deadly) organism.

The amoeba was first discovered by medical scientists in South Australia in the 1960s, following several mysterious deaths from an unusual form of meningitis in the 1950s.

It can cause an often incurable infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. This disease has caused hundreds of fatal infections in several countries. Young men are most commonly affected and the average age of infections is 12 years.

N. fowleri is a microscopic single-celled organism. It is commonly found in freshwater and soil, and thrives in warmer water temperatures ranging from 25°C to 40°C.

It does not survive in salt water or fresh water properly disinfected with chlorine. This includes chlorinated municipal water supplies that are disinfected and thoroughly tested to ensure that all pathogens, including N. fowleri, cannot survive. This water is safe for all uses, including bathing and showering.

Infections are very rare. But they are very serious, since only a handful of people have survived the infection.

The United States has recorded more cases than any other country, mainly because it maintains strict records and provides regular reports on these types of infections. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, of the 164 reported cases (1962 to 2023) in the US, only four people have survived. This is a mortality rate of 97.5 percent.

N. fowleri is a microscopic single-celled organism. It is commonly found in freshwater and soil, and thrives in warmer water temperatures ranging from 25°C to 40°C.

It does not survive in salt water or fresh water properly disinfected with chlorine (pictured, a saltwater pool in Sydney).

It does not survive in salt water or fresh water properly disinfected with chlorine (pictured, a saltwater pool in Sydney).

Australia has recorded 22 cases as of 2018, according to a global review. Four confirmed cases have been reported in Queensland since 2000.

How does it reach the brain?

This disease has a very unusual route of infection. You cannot get infected by drinking contaminated water. It can only infect a person’s brain through water entering the nose and nasal passages. This allows the amoeba to pass through the nasal tissue and infect the brain and central nervous system.

People have been fatally infected by rinsing their nostrils with water containing the amoeba. Such nasal rinses should only use properly sterilized water.

Some of the first symptoms of the infection are headaches, nausea, vomiting, fever, and neck stiffness. The infection may take several days to develop after exposure to the amoeba.

If someone experiences these symptoms after being exposed to potentially contaminated water, urgent medical attention is needed. Although the survival rate is less than 5%, there are rare cases where immediate medical attention helped an infected person survive.

Although the amoeba generally survives in waters of warm climates, it has infected people in warm waters of colder environments. In 1978, a girl died of infection after swimming in the geothermal baths built by the Romans in the English city of Bath. Since then, the baths have been closed to bathers.

In Australia, Lake Liddell in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, was closed to the public in 2016 after the detection of the amoeba. The lake’s waters were artificially warm, as they were used to cool a now-closed coal-fired power station.

Lake Liddell in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, was closed to the public in 2016 after the detection of the amoeba.

Lake Liddell in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, was closed to the public in 2016 after the detection of the amoeba.

What can I do to avoid the amoeba?

First of all, N. fowleri cannot survive in salty ocean water. But it can live in warm fresh waters, rivers, hot springs, streams, pools or lakes.

If you have any doubt, it is safest to assume that the amoeba is present in these water sources. You can still swim, but don’t put your head under water. Be careful to avoid getting water into your nose.

This can be difficult for children who often play games, splash around a lot, and jump or dive in water. They may find it impossible to do this without risking water running up their nose.

If you are considering swimming in a freshwater pool, make sure the pool is well maintained and disinfected with the correct amount of chlorine. This prevents the survival of the amoeba and makes a disinfected and well-maintained pool safe for swimming. (A clean, properly filtered and chlorinated pool also protects swimmers from other waterborne pathogens.)

The chances of acquiring this disease are remote. But if it becomes infected, it is likely to be fatal.

Remember that the children in your care are particularly vulnerable. If possible, choose to swim in well-maintained, chlorinated pools. In freshwater sources, just don’t put your head under the water.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

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