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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.
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.
Hasn't every single case in USA been due to someone swimming in a open body of water?
No.
Why would we care about them surviving in drinking water?
Because it's also the water that you shower in, swim in, get sprayed with if someone uses a squirt gun on you, get splashed with when you wash a dish by hand and so forth. Most people don't want to constantly be exposed to a parasite that can kill them.
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.
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.
"There are many ways to get water up your nose such as... laughing at posts on slashdot while drinking,..."
Those are going to be some poor, hungry Amoebas!
laughing at posts on slashdot while drinking
I don't think Naegleria fowleri can survive in Mountain Dew (nectar of the 'tards).
Have gnu, will travel.
Not sticking tap water up your nose?
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
I used to play in a garage band called Brain Eating Amoebas.
I was once in a band called 1023 Megabytes, we never made it to our first gig.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.