Symptoms and signs of a Naegleria fowleri infection How is a Naegleria fowleri infection diagnosed? How Naegleria fowleri infections be prevented?information in Urdu source hamariweb.com

About Naegleria fowleri

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living excavate form of protist typically found in warm bodies of fresh water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is also found in soil, near warm-water discharges of industrial plants, and unchlorinated swimming pools in an amoeboid or temporary flagellate stage. There is no evidence of this organism living in ocean water. It belongs to a group called the Percolozoa or Heterolobosea. It is an amoeba, described as such by the Source wikipedia

Naegleria are “thermophilic,” meaning that they prefer warmer water. However, the cysts are able to survive for months in very cold water. Thus, Naegleria infection is found both in tropical and temperate climates. Naegleria fowleri is acquired by people when infected water is forcibly aspirated into the nose. This can occur through recreational swimming, diving, or during sports like water skiing. Once acquired, the amoeba travels into the brain, causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). PAM is very rare, and there are only a few cases reported each year in the United States.