Why does amoeba live in water

False Labels of NF. LiveScience Article. Balamuthia Awareness. General Information. Case Reports. Informational Video. Remember Blake Driggers. Waylon Abel Amoeba Awareness. Will Sellars Amoeba Awareness. In Memory of Christian Strickland. Courtney Jean Nash Foundation. Zac's Friendship House. An amoeba called Naegleria fowleri is common in many freshwater bodies of water throughout the south.

Only 3 people out of known infected individuals in the United States from to have survived. Naegleria lives in the top few inches of muddy sediment at the bottom of any body of freshwater and thrives when the water temperature reaches 80 degrees or above.

It is also present at lower temperatures. Warmer water temperatures due to global warming and lakes that have warmed up over the summer would logically indicate that this amoeba may be a hazard at more northern lakes in the coming years.

Flowing rivers tend to be cooler than shallow lakes or ponds and may not harbor as many of the amoeba, though scientists are not certain. Here are five key facts about these infections. This amoeba likes to live in warm water, including warm lakes and rivers, as well as hot springs. The organism may also be found in warm pools that are not properly chlorinated, and in water heaters, the CDC says. It can live in temperatures as high as degrees Fahrenheit 46 degrees Celsius , and can sometimes survive at higher temperatures for short periods.

In the United States, most brain-eating-amoeba infections occur in bodies of freshwater in Southern states. Infections are most common during the summer months, especially when it is hot for prolonged periods, the CDC says. It is less likely to be found in the water as temperatures decline. The ameba can be found in lake or river sediment at temperatures well below where one would find the ameba in the water. Naegleria fowleri eats other organisms like bacteria found in the sediment in lakes and rivers.

You cannot get a Naegleria fowleri infection from a properly cleaned, maintained, and disinfected swimming pool. In the ten years from to , 33 infections were reported in the U. Of those cases, 29 people were infected by recreational water, three people were infected after performing nasal irrigation using contaminated tap water, and one person was infected by contaminated tap water used on a backyard slip-n-slide.

Rare Disease Act of external icon defined a rare disease as affecting less than , people in the U. While infections with Naegleria fowleri are rare, they occur mainly during the summer months of July, August, and September. Infections are more likely to occur in southern-tier states, but can also occur in other more northern states. Infections usually occur when it is hot for prolonged periods of time, which results in higher water temperatures and lower water levels.

Naegleria fowleri causes the disease primary amebic meningoencephalitis PAM , a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue. In its early stages, symptoms of PAM may be similar to symptoms of bacterial meningitis. Initial symptoms of PAM start about 5 days range 1 to 9 days after infection.

The initial symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting. Later symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations.

After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within about 5 days range 1 to 12 days. Only four people out of known infected individuals in the United States from to have survived.

It is not clear. Several drugs are effective against Naegleria fowleri in the laboratory. However, their effectiveness is unclear since almost all infections have been fatal, even when people were treated with similar drug combinations.

Recently, two people with Naegleria infection survived after being treated with a new drug called miltefosine that was given along with other drugs and aggressive management of brain swelling. Infection with Naegleria fowleri is rare. The early symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection are similar to those caused by other more common illnesses, such as bacterial meningitis.

People should seek medical care immediately whenever they develop a sudden onset of fever, headache, stiff neck, and vomiting, particularly if they have been in warm freshwater recently.