Ken warned us about this
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- Charles Krebs
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- Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 pm
- Location: Issaquah, WA USA
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Though there have been, as noted, similar spikes in infections in the past, I was sort of expecting them to be on the rise and not really surprised. Though I would have expected outbreaks to have come sooner to public attention. Also as noted, boys are more aggressive in water sports than most girls and probably is the cause of more cases in young males than in females. There is also another amoeba that you may have read in my references to this type of infection and that is Acanthamoeba spp. Acanthamoeba is the cause of GAE (Granulomatoes Amebic Encephalitis) which most affects immunocompromised individuals but also harbors the bacteria known to cause Legionares Disease. For you contact lens wearers, Acanthamoeba can also cause Amebic Karatitis in which the amoeba basicly eats away at your cornea, resulting in a visual deficency or blindness. A. karatitis is usually contracted by making your own contact lens cleaning solutions.
I don't want to come on as an alarmist but I would suspect that Naegleria fowleri infections will rise due to the "global warming" issue. Freshwater above 80°F should be avoided. One thing that the article did not note, if it did I must have missed it, is that if one has been swimming in freshwater, such as lakes and swimming pools, even those pools that have been treated, and you should develop a sever headache, tell your physician at once about your activities. The amoeba can be found in the cerebral spinal fluid and if in time, in some cases not all, Micronozol or Amphoterician B may be, "may be," successful in abating the amoeba but time is of the essecence. I have read where only 5 out of 300 have survived an attack since its discovery but that is old data.
Thanks for the article Charlie, I found it to be very interesting and informative
I don't want to come on as an alarmist but I would suspect that Naegleria fowleri infections will rise due to the "global warming" issue. Freshwater above 80°F should be avoided. One thing that the article did not note, if it did I must have missed it, is that if one has been swimming in freshwater, such as lakes and swimming pools, even those pools that have been treated, and you should develop a sever headache, tell your physician at once about your activities. The amoeba can be found in the cerebral spinal fluid and if in time, in some cases not all, Micronozol or Amphoterician B may be, "may be," successful in abating the amoeba but time is of the essecence. I have read where only 5 out of 300 have survived an attack since its discovery but that is old data.
Thanks for the article Charlie, I found it to be very interesting and informative
Eighty degrees is quite warm, but I have measured temperatures around 75°F in flowing mountain streams before. Naegleria fowleri, being thermophilic, is just more prolific in temps above or around 80°F being that all of its environmental requirements are met at those temperatures and above, though that is not to say that it is not present in cooler waters. N. fowleri has been found in much higher temperatures also, especially in hot springs erupting from the ground, where water temperatures can get high enough to scald you.