The Florida man contracted the rare and fatal infection likely by doing nasal washes without using sterile water as recommended. The parasite reaches the brain right through the nose
A man died in Florida from an infection caused by abrain eating amoeba. Health agency officials in Charlotte, southwest Florida, say the victim likely became infected after doing nasal washes with tap water apparently contaminated with the microorganism. Naegleria fowleri. Other cases have been reported in the United States due to contaminated mains water.
The precedent of nasal washes
In 2018, a similar precedent: a 69-year-old Seattle woman contracted the infection from using the nasal irrigator, the neti pot, a teapot-shaped device used to dissolve mucus in the nasal cavities, without using sterile solution. In this case, another amoeba, called, had infected the woman Balamuthia mandrillaris found in soil and fresh water. The mortality rate for those suffering from this type of infection is approaching 100%. Unlike the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba Balamuthia mandrillaris is much more difficult to detect and under the microscope can be confused with immune cells, which it closely resembles. In addition, images from brain scans can resemble those of a tumor or bacterial infection.
How is the infection contracted?
In the latter case, Naegleria fowleri, a tiny parasite with a very simple structure (measuring 20 micrometers or thousandths of a millimeter) which killed the man in Florida, can infect various animals, especially mammals. Man risks contracting it by swimming in rivers or lakes, especially when the water is warm or hot, and also through nasal washings with infected waters. The parasite it comes right through the nose (if the water goes into the mouth there is no risk) e it goes up along the olfactory nerve, up to the brain. L multiplies very quickly, feeding on brain nervous tissue.
Symptoms
The injuries are so serious and extensive as to render the lethal disease in over 90% of cases. Swimming in pools can also be a risk factor if the water and filters are not cleaned properly. In humans, the infection with Naegleria fowleri can cause an extremely serious disease, in a very high percentage lethal: the
primary amoebic meningoencephalitis
which affects the central nervous system. Symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, disorientation, stiff neck, loss of balance, seizures, hallucinations. If not diagnosed and treated immediately, it leads to death within a week.
The statistics
According to the CDC, an average of three Americans are infected each year, often with fatal consequences. Between 1962 and 2021, only four of the 154 people infected in the United States survived. Over the years, only one case has been detected in Italy, discovered post mortem many years ago.
To avoid such infections, nasal washes should not be done with tap water but sterile or distilled water should be used. It should be avoided to get water into the nose during swimming in the pool or showers to prevent infection
March 3, 2023 (change March 3, 2023 | 1:47 pm)
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