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Tiny Amoeba Brain-eating parasite led to the death of a young woman
In a rare disease caused by the "brain-eating" parasite Naegleria fowleri, a 21-year-old woman died in the US. The dangerous parasite enters the brain via the mucous membrane and nerve tracts. There he begins to eat. Naegleria fowleri is a real nightmare for sufferers. The American woman got a purulent meningitis due to the infection and died soon afterwards.
Commenting on "CBS News," a spokesperson for the regional health department in Inyo County, California said, "The young woman first felt nausea and dizziness. After that followed a strong headache ". Since the pain did not stop, the patient went to a clinic. The hospital was diagnosed with meningitis. However, the doctors could hardly help because the meningitis was unstoppable. In the last despair, the woman was taken to another clinic in Reno, Nevada. But even there the patient could not be helped. The young woman died a little later. The doctors could not recognize the reason.
Amoeba damages the brain and causes inflammation. (Image: royaltystockphoto - fotolia) Parasite eats through the brain
"We could not explain the death," said one of the senior physicians. "That's why a thorough investigation was ordered." The results showed that the parasite Naegleria fowleri, better known as the "brain-eating amoeba", was responsible for the fatal meningitis. The protozoan is described in the medical textbooks as a pathogen that causes the so-called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. However, the route of infection in the current case remained unclear.
Infection with Naegleria fowleri is extremely rare. It has been observed that transmission is mostly in fresh water. Affected reported that they previously bathed in fresh water, where the pathogen rapidly proliferates with sufficient heat. The parasite can enter the human organism via the nasopharyngeal space. Once there, it moves on to the brain and causes here an increasing destruction of the tissue. The body reacts with violent inflammatory reactions. These in turn lead to cell death.
Path of infection through the nasopharynx
Naegleria fowleri occurs in almost all parts of the world, with the United States and Australia being centers of distribution, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But infections are very rare. "In the 10 years from 2005 to 2014, 35 infections were reported in the US, with 31 people being infected by swimming in contaminated recreational waters, three people following a nasal wash with contaminated tap water, and one person from contaminated tap water Backyard. According to the US Department of Health, over the past 53 years, 133 people in the US have been infected with the particular parasite. However, the death rate was very high. So far, only three people have been saved from death as a result of the infection. In Germany, no known cases have occurred so far. (Sb)