Naegleria Fowleri: 5 Points On 'Brain-Eating Amoeba'

Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled amoeba, commonly found in warm fresh water.

The "brain-eating amoeba," Naegleria fowleri, has been linked to the death of a patient, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, marking the first case of the fatal condition in South Korea.

Here are five points on the deadly brain-eating amoeba infection:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health agency of the United States, Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba (single-celled living organism) that lives in soil and warm fresh water, such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs.
It is commonly called the "brain-eating amoeba" because it can cause a brain infection when water containing the ameba goes up the nose. Only about three people in the United States get infected each year, but these infections are usually fatal.
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain infection that damages brain tissue, is brought on by Naegleria fowleri. As a result of the infection's destruction of brain tissue, the brain swells. Early PAM signs and symptoms could resemble those of bacterial meningitis.
Although they might emerge anywhere between 1 and 12 days after infection, the initial PAM symptoms typically appear approximately 5 days later. Headache, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting are possible symptoms. Seizures, hallucinations, seizures, stiff neck, confusion, and coma are some of the most severe symptoms that can develop later.
After symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about 5 days (but death can happen within 1 to 18 days). The death rate is over 97%. Only four people have survived out of 154 known infected individuals in the United States from 1962 to 2021.