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A North Carolina teenager has died from a rare and often fatal infection caused by an amoeba found in warm freshwater, state health officials said.
In a GoFundMe set up by the teen’s mother, she shared that his first symptom was “severe headaches.”
“I never imagined that something like this could be so serious,” she said.
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The illness is caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba (one-celled living organism) that inhabits ponds, lakes and rivers.
“We extend our condolences to the family, friends and community impacted by this loss,” the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement obtained by news outlets.
The teen’s death was reported just days after an 8-year-old girl in Louisiana succumbed to the infection.
“While these infections are very rare, this is an important reminder that this amoeba is present in our state and across the U.S.,” State Epidemiologist Zack Moore, M.D., said in a prior statement. “There are steps people can take to reduce their risk of infection while swimming during the warmer months.”
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Naegleria fowleri — commonly referred to as a “brain-eating amoeba” — causes a life-threatening brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
The amoeba is most active in the months that the water temperature stays elevated.
“It’s typically this time of year when it’s very hot outside, when there hasn’t been a lot of rain … and the lakes and ponds get pretty stagnant and get very warm, and that’s a great breeding ground for these type of natural inhabitants of those waters,” Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas, told Fox News Digital.
The infection can occur when water containing the amoeba is forced up the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain. This can occur when someone jumps or dives into the water or participates in water sports.
“Once that happens, it’s nearly a lethal disease,” Kahn warned. “The mortality rate is close to 100%.”
Naegleria fowleri does not cause illness via swallowing.
Warning signs to recognize
The initial symptoms of PAM usually begin about five days after exposure, but they can be noticed sooner.
Early signs usually include headache, nausea, fever and/or vomiting, the CDC’s website states.
As the infection progresses, people may experience confusion, slurred speech, stiff neck, disorientation, hallucinations, seizures and coma.
“By the time the [amoeba] enters the brain and starts to basically erode the brain tissue, it’s too late.”
“The initial symptoms are actually quite nonspecific — they don’t point to one disease or another — but they can progress very rapidly,” Kahn noted.
Diagnosis involves testing cerebrospinal fluid obtained through a spinal tap; specialized laboratory testing may be needed.
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Symptoms usually begin about five days after exposure, although they can appear anywhere from one to 12 days later. Once symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly.
Most people die within one to 18 days after symptoms begin, typically around five days, per the CDC.
Prevention of infection
To prevent potentially fatal infections, Kahn recommends either avoiding the types of waters where the amoeba is likelier to be found, or taking added precautions.
“If you are swimming in those waters, wear a nose clip, don’t put your head underwater, those types of things,” he said.
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Drinking contaminated water does not present a risk, and the infection does not spread from one person to another.
Because the amoeba is found in soil, the CDC also recommends avoiding stirring up the sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers.
Treatment of brain-eating amoebas
When a patient has been diagnosed with a brain-eating amoeba, treatment involves a combination of antimicrobial and anti-amoebic medications, including amphotericin B, azithromycin, rifampin and miltefosine.
“There has been a cocktail of antibiotics and antimicrobials that have been tried over the years — but with a very, very small number of cases every year, it’s tough to draw any conclusions from that,” Kahn said.
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“In the cases we’ve seen, we typically throw a lot of these antibiotics as a therapeutic modality, but by the time the [amoeba] enters the brain and starts to basically erode the brain tissue, it’s too late.”
Those who experience sudden headache, fever, stiff neck or vomiting — especially if they have recently been swimming in warm freshwater — should seek immediate medical attention, the CDC recommends.
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