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Brain-Eating Amoeba Scoffs At Chlorine In Water Pipes
An anonymous reader writes: The Naegleria fowleri amoeba typically feeds on bacteria in water and soil. Human digestive systems have no problem killing it, but inhaling water that carries the amoeba gives it the opportunity to work its way into the brain after it sneaks through the nasal mucus. It happens rarely, but 97% of people whose brains start swelling because of this amoeba end up dying. Like most microorganisms, N. fowleri can be neutralized with concentrated chlorine. However, the systems we use to deliver tap water aren't so clean. Researchers found that N. fowleri can easily survive for 24 hours when it's mixed with the types of biofilm that tend to reside in water pipes. Increasing chlorine levels isn't a good option, since its reaction with these biofilms can generate carcinogens.
Tonight at 10 - Everything kills you.
" 97% of people whose brains start swelling"
So basically, if you start showing the signs, you are probably gone. However, IIRC, they found a fairly large portion of the population actually has antibodies for N. fowleri, indicating that getting infected may not be that uncommon, just that most infected are asymptomatic (or maybe mistook it for some more trivial ailment).
It would be interesting to also know the percentage of exposed who do not experience brain swelling...
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Guess I should boil that water first.
That's where all that laughter I was hearing in my walls and pipes was coming from!
I for one welcome our new brain-eating amoeba overlords.
Our planet is full of dangerous things that can kill you.
Hasn't every single case in USA been due to someone swimming in a open body of water?
Why would we care about them surviving in drinking water?
love is just extroverted narcissism
N. fowleri can easily survive for 24 hours
But is it surviving? Does it even exist in our water system at present? I only know about this amoeba, because it became an issue up here in Minnesota when a boy swimming in Lake Minnewaska was believed to have contracted the disease and passed away. (Although, it was later determined that he died not from an amoeba but rather from bacterial meningitis.) But, as this was happening, it was shared that there's been only 35 confirmed deaths from amoebas over the last 10 years. Do we really need to concern and trouble ourselves over something killing 3.5 humans a year?
Bet he didn't think of that one. Yet.
Always use distilled water when washing out your sinuses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Better than Chlorine.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Using a Neti pot, NealMed or homebrew .... it seems still sensible to either:
1) Boil water, and hold at temp for several minutes (a "hot pot" e.g. http://www.zojirushi.com/app/p... typically holds the water at a boil for 4min) or
2) UV sterialize http://www.steripen.com/advent... as an example
While one can use distilled water, often it sits around potentially growing something (but probably nothing brain eating) so making it fresh has advantages.
Yes, these pests are rare; but the results dire enough one should take reasonable care before putting water up one's nose these days.
H2O2 will destroy biofilms, but it also neutralizes chlorine.
What alternatives work?
chloramine?
ozonation?
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
The ameoba can live in biofilm like the ones in some piping. Fine. But when in the biofilm it is not exposed to chlorinated water. So this animal does NOT scoff in the face of chlorinated water.
If only we could fall into a woman's arms without falling into her hands
So flood our water systems with Naegleria fowleri. When 97% of the population dies, the remaining 3% will be genetically pre-disposed to being able to survive an infection, and from then on this amoeba won't present a threat to humans. Problem solved!
I would have made first first, but I was busy dropping Obamas at the pool.
Oh, wait, chlorine...
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
According to this 2008 biomed paper: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1..., Naegleria fowleri is likely vulnerable to Mimivirus (possibly Mamavirus too?) infection.
Given that Naegleria fowleri is close to 100% fatal, why not try infecting the Naegleria fowleri infection with Mimivirus?
Mimivirus is only speciously associated with Pneumonia in humans, and Pneumonia has a much better survivability rate. Worst case scenario it does nothing and the patient dies (which was going to happen anyways), best case scenario the Mimivirus kills Naegleria fowleri and the patient survives with no pathology. Middle road scenario, the Mimivirus kills Naegleria fowleri, the patient survives but has Pneumonia.
Personally, I would choose having a bout of Pneumonia over having my brain eaten by an amoeba any day.
It's never a good idea to breathe the water.
Naegleria fowleri is close to 100% fatal,
It's close to 100% fatal once symptoms present (and are further successfully diagnosed as n. fowleri). There are confirmed instances of signs that some of the population has unknowingly gotten into their systems, so it may be significantly less than 100% fatal even when infected.
So the number to eye is about 3.5 deaths per year. So it's either the case that exposure is actually very low or else that most that get infected never even know. Pneumonia on the other hand has a much higher death count.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
I was wondering, how anyone would inhale water.
...Now just wait when his head starts to swell.
Then I remembered a friend who has gotten into these vapes/e-cigs or whatever they are called. The thing is, he mixed his own juice, because ordering raw nicotine fluid is apparently a lot cheaper than premix.
Just in case anyone was wondering what the fuck biofilm is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
"A biofilm is any group of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other on a surface. These adherent cells are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Biofilm extracellular polymeric substance, which is also referred to as slime (although not everything described as slime is a biofilm), is a polymeric conglomeration generally composed of extracellular DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides. Biofilms may form on living or non-living surfaces and can be prevalent in natural, industrial and hospital settings."
Another PSA: Don't drink the water in Venezuela; its inhabitants are measured in centimeters.
Buy your next Linux PC at eightvirtues.com
Pneumonia on the other hand has a much higher death count.
Sure, but you'd only be trying this on people who are *already* symptomatic for N. Fowleri infection, at that point the base rate is irrelevant.
Yeah, pneumonia is nasty, but it isn't 100% fatal. Besides, the link between Mimivirus and pneumonia is only speculative, Mimivirus might not cause pneumonia at all.
1. Sterilize water before using Neti pot. (Boil tap water, or use distilled water.)
2. Inspect Neti pot for zombies before use.
It happens rarely, but 97% of people whose brains start swelling because of this amoeba end up dying.
And the other 3% end up not dying? I like those odds!
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Or at least that's how I always remembered it after River Country shut down.
But the symptom is brains swelling.
I doubt infecting your brain with Pneumonia is going to be a viable solution, and infecting your lungs with it won't get the amebas that have taken up residence in your brain.
What would be your assessment if the chances of the brain eating amoeba was 1 in a million, but the chances of the pneumonia infecting you was 1 in 10?
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
... if the chances of the brain eating amoeba was 1 in a million, but the chances of the pneumonia infecting you was 1 in 10?
You are missing the point completely. Like I said previously, you would only try this on people who are ALREADY SYMPTOMATIC. Once you've developed N. fowleri infection symptoms (e.g. Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM)) what the chances were of you developing those symptoms to start with is pretty fucking irrelevant.
Once you are symptomatic, your chances of dying are pretty close to 100%. Whatever the fatality rate of pneumonia is, it certainly isn't 100%, and even if Mimivirus can actually cause Pneumonia, it isn't going to do so 100% of the time.
Let's say the death rate from contracting pneumonia is something insane like 50%, and the chance of contracting pneumonia from Mimivirus is *guaranteed* (100%). EVEN under those (way over estimated circumstances), if Mimivirus were effective at killing N. fowleri, you've upped your survivability from 0% to 50%.
That makes more sense, I thought you were saying to put this other bacterium in the water supply to kill off this one, which sounded a little insane.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Sometimes at nights I'm quite sure that a distant "Brainzz" could be heard from the water facet.
... I thought you were saying to put this other bacterium in the water supply to kill off this one, which sounded a little insane.
Putting *enough* Mimivirus (which is a virus, not a bacteria) into the water supply to kill off ALL N. fowleri amoebas WOULD be insane. Mimivirus is already present to a certain level in the same environments as N. fowleri though, so it's already in the water supply, just hopefully not in enough quantities to infect people...
"...I would choose having a bout of Pneumonia over having my brain eaten by an amoeba any day."
Whoa there nelly! You dismiss the brain eating option too quickly!
Advantages to having your brain eaten:
1). You are safe to drive while drunk (the brain being optional for this task, proof is driving home and not remembering);
2). Complete protection against zombies and brain-eating aliens;
3). Cures depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders;
4). Acts as a prophylactic for Alzheimer's & dementia;
5). Corrects fundamental problem in stupid life choices;
6). Allows the citizen entry to any college or university. Denial is grounds for a civil rights case as the citizen is "brain challenged" and discrimination based on that is against the law. Some law, somewhere. Look it up, whatami, a lawyer?!
7). Loss of brain allows the citizen to lose 3 pounds with no negative effect on looks (none positive either though);
8). Amoeba have to live too!
In short, lose the brain, you've got nothing to lose. Except your brain of course.
you must be new here !
Friends lost their daughter to these bastards. I say nuke'em with chlorine
chlorine. Only way to be sure.
It kills roughly 3 people a year in the USA on average. It just isn't worth caring about.
Not just 97% of those with brain swelling dies, but 100%!
Not only those with brain swelling die, but 100% of those exposed die!
Even 100% of those NOT exposed die. Eventually.
My goodness, how did Cavemen even survive drinking muddy water and eating raw meat...it's a wonder we are even here!
It's not the water you drink. You usually get this in the shower or from swimming.
According to this 2008 biomed paper: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1..., Naegleria fowleri is likely vulnerable to Mimivirus (possibly Mamavirus too?) infection.
Given that Naegleria fowleri is close to 100% fatal, why not try infecting the Naegleria fowleri infection with Mimivirus?
Mimivirus is only speciously associated with Pneumonia in humans, and Pneumonia has a much better survivability rate. Worst case scenario it does nothing and the patient dies (which was going to happen anyways), best case scenario the Mimivirus kills Naegleria fowleri and the patient survives with no pathology. Middle road scenario, the Mimivirus kills Naegleria fowleri, the patient survives but has Pneumonia.
Personally, I would choose having a bout of Pneumonia over having my brain eaten by an amoeba any day.
Dr. House, is that you?
They didn't survive. They died young and full of disease and parasites. But they had kids at 14 so humans persisted.
Only boring people are ever bored.