Symptoms Primary Amoebic Meningenocephalit Elizabeth Do, Brittney Douress, Courtney Gonzalez, Veronica Hohweiler, Nakato Nsibirwa Life Cycle Pictured above is the first stage of N. fowleri known as the trophozoite stage. It is the infectious stage of this protozoon. If there is a small change in environment, the trophozoite will change into a flagellated stage. When conditions are drastic (cold temperatures, food scarcity, etc.) the protozoon will change This image represents N. fowleri life cycles in different temperatures. [Untitled photograph of transmission]. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from: http://www.cdc.gov/ General Agent Information APRIL 2015 Specific Type: (family/class) Naegleria fowleri The first Primary Amoebic Meningenocephalitis (PAM) infection reported in the United States came from Florida in 1962. It is a free-living ameba (single-celled) commonly found in warm fresh water. It is a fatal disease that affects the central nervous system. The infection occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, when INFECTIOUS DISEASE 5 Stage 1 Severe frontal headache Fever Nausea Vomiting Stage 2 Stiff Neck Seizures Altered mental Status Hallucinations Coma
Transcript
Symptoms
Primary Amoebic Meningenocephalitis
Elizabeth Do, Brittney Douress, Courtney Gonzalez, Veronica Hohweiler, Nakato Nsibirwa
General Agent InformationSpecific Type: (family/class) Naegleria fowleri
The first Primary Amoebic Meningenocephalitis (PAM) infection reported in the United States came from Florida in 1962. It is a free-living ameba (single-celled) commonly found in warm fresh water. It is a fatal disease that affects the central nervous system. The infection occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, when contaminated water from other sources enters the nose (i.e. inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated and contaminated tap water). An individual cannot be infected drinking water contaminated with Naegleria.
Life Cycle Pictured above is the first stage of
N. fowleri known as the trophozoite stage. It is the
infectious stage of this protozoon. If there is a small change in
environment, the trophozoite will change into a flagellated stage.
When conditions are drastic (cold temperatures, food scarcity, etc.) the protozoon will change it to its last stage/form, which is a cyst.
([Untitled photograph of Naegleria fowleri]. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/pathogen.html)
This image represents N. fowleri life cycles in different temperatures.[Untitled photograph of transmission]. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/Naegleria/pathogen.html)
APRIL 2015INFECTIOUS DISEASE
5
Stage 1 Severe frontal headache Fever Nausea Vomiting
Stage 2 Stiff Neck Seizures Altered mental Status Hallucinations Coma
Range
Risk Factors
Transmission
Treatment
For more information:http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/treatment.html http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/naegleria-infection/basics/treatment/con-20034093http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/swimming.htmlhttp://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/naegleria-infection/basics/prevention/con-20034093
PreventionNo method currently exists that accurately and reproducibly measures the numbers of amebae in the water. This makes it unclear how a standard might be set to protect human health and how public health officials
would measure and enforce such a standard.
During the summer months, try and avoid swimming in fresh bodies of water/fresh water with high temperatures. If you do swim in these specific areas make sure water does not enter the nasal cavity.
Treatment has to be given as soon as possible for any chance of survival. Even with treatment provided, there isn’t too much luck on survival.
A person swimming in the contaminated water can be infected if the ameba enters the body through the nose. Then travels through the nasal mucosa to the brain, where it destroys the brain tissue. [Please refer to image]
Infected people were often reported to have participated in water-related activities such as swimming underwater, diving, and head dunking that could have caused water to go up the nose.
No data exist to accurately estimate the true risk of PAM. Hundreds of millions of visits to swimming venues occur each year in the U.S. that result in 0-8 infections per year. The extremely low occurrence ofPAM makes epidemiologic study difficult.
([Untitled photograph of transmission]. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/pathogen.html)
The ameba is commonly found in warm freshwater (e.g. lakes, rivers, and hot springs) and soil.
Infections have primarily occurred in southern-tier states in the U.S., but infections were documented in Minnesota in 2010 and 2012 and other northern states since that time. Over half of all reported infections have occurred in Florida and Texas.
