- Climate change accelerates arrival of deadly brain-eating amoeba in Britain
- Naegleria fowleri poses 99% fatality rate via water-borne infections
- Amoeba enters brain through nose, causing rapid fatal deterioration
Climate change is accelerating the arrival of a brain-eating amoeba in Britain, a prominent expert warns.
Infection with Naegleria fowleri, which can be found in rivers, lakes, and even potable water, can result in the demise of as many as 99 per cent of those infected.
By travelling up the nasal passage, the microscopic parasite gains access to the brain, which it subsequently consumes and disrupts.
Headache, fever, and vomiting are possible initial manifestations; subsequent symptoms may include a stiff neck, perplexity, and loss of balance.
Professor Naveed Khan, a microbiologist with decades of experience studying Naegleria and other amoebae, said that “you die” is the prognosis for most infections.
Although Naegleria is more prevalent in warmer climates, Professor Khan, who currently maintains a laboratory in Edinburgh, has observed it in water purification facilities in London and Nottingham, United Kingdom. However, that was before the water underwent treatment.
However, he cautioned that the threat posed by the parasite, which is incapable of spreading via contaminated water, may increase in tandem with climate change.
Analogous assertions have been made in the United States, where Naegleria has increased to the north in recent decades.
“Given the current extremely warm weather in London, I believe this is a significant concern here as well,” said Professor Khan.
Globally, Naegleria is found in soil and freshwater, including in the United Kingdom.
According to Professor Khan, the water becomes lethal to humans only when its temperature exceeds 30 degrees.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention states that the heat-loving parasite can endure temperatures below zero.
An increase in temperature creates a more conducive setting for the amoeba to transform into its “infectious form,” during which it fabricates a biological “hook” that enables it to adhere to cells lining the nostril, thereby facilitating its invasion of the brain.
Upon entering the brain, it induces tissue destruction and enlargement, ultimately culminating in a fatality within a week.
The rapid onset of symptoms, which may be misdiagnosed as meningitis, exposes patients to the danger of failing to detect the infection until it is irreparable.
Patients who were administered a combination of medications, such as steroids and antibiotics, have managed to survive, as reported by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cases of Naegleria are exceedingly uncommon in developed nations due to the use of chlorinated and appropriately treated water. An estimated three individuals in the United States become ill each year.
Infection resulted in the death of one individual in Florida last March.
Officials hypothesise that they contracted the amoeba by cleansing their sinuses with contaminated tap water since ingesting such water does not present any health risk.
Such fatalities are even less frequent in the United Kingdom. A juvenile girl lost her life in 1978 after ingesting the lethal parasite while swimming in the Roman Baths located in Bath. Since its construction around 70 CE on the site of geothermal springs, the structure has not been utilised for bathing purposes; however, it remains operational as a museum.
However, Professor Khan stated that the risk posed by the parasite increases as summers in the United Kingdom gradually intensify.
It is hypothesised that individuals contracted numerous documented infections by swimming in open freshwater environments, such as lakes and rivers, in temperate climates.
This infection can be prevented while swimming in nature by donning nasal plugs.
However, there is no immediate cause for concern regarding acquiring the brain-eating amoeba from swimming pools that are kept in good condition.
According to Professor Khan, chlorine is sufficient to eradicate the parasite.
However, individuals who flush their sinuses with unclean faucet water run the risk of contracting Naegleria. This is not an issue in the United Kingdom.
To alleviate congestion, individuals commonly use a neti pot to flush water through their nostrils.
However, they are strongly encouraged to use sterilised water to circumvent the possibility of infection transmitted by tap water.
Professor Khan, an authority on microbiology with experience instructing at institutions across the globe, asserted that the devices may serve as a “breeding ground” for the amoeba, particularly when water is left to stand for extended durations.
He stated, “If this water is not clean, it could cause severe dangers.”
“The chlorine that has been exchanged for the water may evaporate if the neti pot is left in the water for an extended period of time.”
Before using the water to clear your nasal passage, he recommends bringing it to a boil to destroy any bacteria and insects and then allowing it to cool before applying it immediately.
During his research on public health at water treatment sites in London and Nottingham, United Kingdom, from 2002 to 2008, Professor Khan discovered the latent form of brain-eating amoeba.
However, the parasite was not detected in any water samples after the treatment procedure utilised to produce potable water.
Professor Khan is concerned, however, that this may alter as summers become warmer in the future.
Chlorine in the water may evaporate en route to the house if there is a plumbing problem, the pipes are too old, or the water is travelling a long distance,” he explained, citing instances of the parasite in Malaysia and Pakistan.
Professor Khan believes that because Naegleria is not routinely tested for at this time, additional testing should be conducted over multiple seasons on water in the United Kingdom.
Identifying symptoms of the brain-eating virus can be challenging in the event of infection.
A headache is one of the initial symptoms, typically disregarded as a minor disorder by the general public and medical professionals.
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It may eventually result in a rigid neck. Professor Khan cautions that this, in conjunction with a headache, can be easily misdiagnosed as bacterial meningitis; the diagnostic delay will further diminish the patient’s chances.
“Patients die within twenty-four to seventy-two hours after presenting to the hospital with symptoms,” he stated.
“In the 99 percent chance that you contract it, you will perish because there is no effective treatment.”
Postmortem examinations conducted after cases of the infection in Malaysia and Pakistan unveiled that certain patients had been erroneously identified as having Naegleria rather than bacterial meningitis.
Professor Khan hypothesises that this occurs due to inadequate training in parasite infections, which necessitates a lumbar puncture, a complex procedure involving cerebrospinal fluid collection from a patient’s spine, for diagnosis.
“Although the amoeba is extremely rare, physicians must be more cognizant of its existence,” he stated.
