preview

Naegleria Fowleri Research Paper

Decent Essays

Naegleria fowleri Infection Payton Vandergriff 5th Period Naegleria fowleri infection is a deadly disease caused by a form of protist typically found dwelling within warm bodies of fresh water, such as lakes, rivers, streams and unchlorinated swimming pools. It can also be found within soil or in warm fresh water deposits outside of factories. Naegleria fowleria typically reside within fish or other water-dwelling organisms, but they have been known to infiltrate the human body via the nasal cavity. Once within the body, naegleria fowleri attack the human nervous system and brain. This process is called ‘Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis’ and although such infections are rare, contraction almost always guarantees death. The case fatality rate is over 95%. Once the disease has been contracted, the subject will most likely be dead within five days. The longest running bout of this infection ever recorded was a mere twenty five days, with the shortest being sixteen hours. …show more content…

These symptoms can appear as quickly as an hour after contraction. Because these symptoms are so generic, many people have mistaken cases of naegleria fowleri for the common cold, which has resulted in many misdiagnoses and eventual deaths. Secondary symptoms of the disease include confusion, hallucinations, lack of attention, ataxia (meaning a loss of coordination), and seizures. Eventually, the patient lapses into a coma where they later die, still within this comatose state. While the patient is comatose, the amoeba consumes the brain piece by piece. Naegleria fowleri can be stopped but once the patient drops into a coma, the survival rate becomes even bleaker. The survival rate, which is already miniscule at less than 1%, morphs into a number even smaller than its predecessor. Only Amphotericin B, an anti-fungal drug, has proven to be effective against the likes of naegleria

Get Access