S8 E2: Brain Suckers: The Story of Naegleria fowleri

Brain Eating Amoeba Show Notes:

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This season is called “Creepy Crawlies” and today, I’m going to be talking about one of the strangest and most dangerous among them, Naegleria fowleri.

This animal is the brain eater that’s made a huge splash, pun intended, in the media over the last couple of years.

While this organism thrives in temperatures above 80° Fahrenheit, it can be found in lake or river sediment at temperatures well below that.

The mortality rate for PAM is roughly 97% with only four people out of 157 having survived in the US between 1962 and 2022.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350905632_Naegleria_fowleri_Sources_of_infection_pathophysiology_diagnosis_and_management_a_review

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-life-of-an-amoeba-4054288

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-cells-373361

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/general.html

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/infections/Pages/naegleria-fowleri-the-brain-eating-amoeba-how-to-prevent-this-rare-infection.aspx

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535447/

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/naegleria/index.html

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p01085.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9964342/

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-biosafety-biosecurity/pathogen-safety-data-sheets-risk-assessment/naegleria-fowleri.html

https://www.tceq.texas.gov/toxicology/q-a/amoeba

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/why-brain-eating-amoeba-infections-are-becoming-more-common.html

https://weather.com/health/video/rare-brain-eating-amoeba-cases-could-rise-due-to-climate-change?cm_ven=PS_GGL_DSA_09162019_1&par=MK_GGL&tpcc=mktg-search-Google-acquisition&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAuYuvBhApEiwAzq_YiUAkKam_smsl0ezdn7j4gstP7QyZTDtoE5uFzjHC_5siNsBL80-DpxoCdt4QAvD_BwE

https://www.science.org/content/article/repurposed-drug-battles-brain-eating-amoeba

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7783332/

https://byjus.com/biology/amoeba/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31612525/#:~:text=Though%20the%20exact%20pathogenesis%20of,pathogen%20invading%20the%20host%20CNS.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604384/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001706X16305897

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00232

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1440-1681.13192

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/223910-overview?form=fpf

https://academic.oup.com/femspd/article/51/2/243/888715

https://academic.oup.com/f

https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/aac.01293-15

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/naegleria-fowleri

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11684-021-0865-2

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350905632_Naegleria_fowleri_Sources_of_infection_pathophysiology_diagnosis_and_management_a_review

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Reported-cases-of-primary-amebic-meningoencephalitis-n-381-by-country-of-exposure-No_fig1_341190198

https://applications.emro.who.int/imemrf/Parasitologists_United_J/Parasitologists_United_J_2012_5_2_93_104.pdf

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-73772-5_88

https://www.academia.edu/70102030/A_Review_on_Global_Distribution_of_Primary_Amoebic_Meningoencephalitis_PAM_Caused_By_Naegleria_Fowleri_The_Brain_Eating_Amoeba

https://acsw.dypvp.edu.in/documents/Study-Material/Microbiology-TYBSc/Entamoeba-histolytica.pdf

https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/5100//420-002-epitrends2019-03.pdf

https://acsw.dypvp.edu.in/documents/Study-Material/Microbiology-TYBSc/Entamoeba-histolytica.pdf

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