Information

Naegleria fowleri
Legacy Name: Naegleria fowleri

The

Common Experiment #886
Owner:

HYPEBEAST

Age: 13 years, 3 weeks, 2 days

Born: April 2nd, 2011

Adopted: 9 years, 6 months, 6 days ago

Adopted: October 19th, 2014

Statistics

Level: 82
Strength: 177
Defense: 160
Speed: 160
Health: 160
HP: 160/160
Intelligence: 561
Books Read: 542
Food Eaten: 1
Job: Stylist

Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
(unranked): Excavate
Phylum: Percolozoa
Class: Heterolobosea
Order: Schizopyrenida
Family: Vahlkampfiidae
Genus: Naegleria
Species: N. fowler

Binomial name: Naegleria fowleri
(Carter 1970)

Naegleria fowleri, colloquially known as the "brain-eating amoeba".

It is a free-living, bacteria-feeding amoeba that can be pathogenic, causing a fulminant (sudden and severe) brain infection called naegleriasis, also known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).

This microorganism is typically found in bodies of warm freshwater, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is also found in the soil near warm-water discharges of industrial plants, and in unchlorinated or minimally-chlorinated swimming pools. It can be seen in either an amoeboid or temporary flagellate stage.

N. fowleri can cause a lethal infection of the brain called naegleriasis (also known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), amebic encephalitis, or Naegleria infection). Infections can occur when water containing N. fowleri is inhaled through the nose, where it then enters the nasal and olfactory nerve tissue, travelling to the brain through the cribriform plate. N. fowleri normally eat bacteria, but when it enters humans, it uses the brain as a food source. It takes up to 15 days for symptoms to appear after N. fowleri amoebas enter the nose.

Initial symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting. Later symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations. Once the trophozoites ingest brain tissue and symptoms begin to appear, death will usually occur within 2 weeks. A person infected with N. fowleri cannot spread the infection to another person.

The core antimicrobial treatment consists of antifungal drug amphotericin B, but the fatality rate even with this treatment is greater than 95%. New treatments are being sought.