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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.
" 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.
For people that use things like neti pots. They provide a direct route past the blood-brain barrier.
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?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Better than Chlorine.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
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.