What is a brain-eating amoeba, what are its symptoms?

The world is really full of frightening diseases, viruses and even amoebas! Recently, a man in South Korea died due to a “brain-eating amoeba”. The brain-eating amoeba that appeared in South Korea has become one of the most important items on the agenda around the world. In fact, answers to many questions such as what is a brain-eating amoeba, what are its symptoms and is there a cure, have been asked in our country. Here’s what you need to know about the brain-eating amoeba that’s been talked about a lot lately.

An incident in South Korea has drawn worldwide attention to the problem of brain-eating amoebas.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced that a Negleria fowler infection was found in a person who had recently returned to Korea from overseas, and a person who had been in Thailand for 4 months died on December 21 due to the infection. It was the first death from a brain-eating amoeba in South Korea. This tragic death raised many questions around the world, such as what is a brain-eating amoeba, how are brain-eating amoeba transmitted, and is there a cure?

What is a brain-eating amoeba?

The creature called “Naegleria fowleri”, often referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba”, is a type of amoeba, as its name suggests. There are good reasons why this interesting single-celled creature is called the “brain eater”. However, the brain-eating amoeba is known to be an extremely rare creature. But it is just as dangerous and even deadly. On the other hand, Naegleria fowleri is a very interesting creature that can have 3 different forms depending on the temperature of the environment in which it lives.

How is the brain-eating amoeba transmitted?

The brain-eating amoeba’s natural habitat includes murky waters, stagnant lakes, and muddy pools. Accordingly, brain-feeding amoebae can be transmitted through contact with these environments. Amoebas enter the human body only through the nasal passage. However, brain-eating amoebas are not transmitted from person to person.

In other words, even drinking water from a reservoir inhabited by brain-eating amoebas does not cause disease in humans. Entering the human body through the nasal passage, amoeba, moving to the brain and multiplying there, damage the brain tissue, causing first cerebral edema, and then meningitis, called “primary amoebic meningoencephalitis” (PAM).

What are the symptoms of a brain-eating amoeba?

Brain-eating amoebae enter the human body through the nasal passage, then enter the brain and settle there, causing a kind of meningitis. For this reason, the symptoms of a brain-eating amoeba are similar to those of meningitis.

In other words, the most common symptoms of this disease, caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, include high fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms usually appear within 10 days after the amoeba enters the nasal passage. To these symptoms are further added stiff neck, stiff neck, loss of balance, insensitivity to the environment and hallucinations.

Brain-eating amoebas are extremely rare, but deadly!

Brain-eating amoebas are known to have infected only 154 people in the US since 1967, and only 4 of those people survived! Brain-eating amoebae often die within 5 days of the onset of symptoms.

Is there a cure for the disease?

The short answer is no! Brain-eating amoebae are said to be extremely rare creatures, making it difficult to develop effective treatments. Because no effective treatment has been developed against amoebas and the health problems they cause, most people infected with the brain-eating amoeba die within a short time. Brain-eating amoebas are said to be 97 percent fatal.

Source: 1