Brain eating amoeba Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Brain eating amoeba - Essay Example On rare occasions, individuals contract the brain-eating amoeba because of contaminated water in swimming pools or from taps. It has the ability to cause Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, which is a devastating and rare brain infection. The brain-eating amoeba enters the body through the nose. The amoeba then gradually moves to the brain. While in the brain, the amoeba actively destroys tissues. However, drinking water that has Naegleria cannot lead to the infection of a person. Naegleria fowleri exists everywhere in the world, as long as the environmental conditions are suitable for its existence and survival. Aside from existing in fresh warm water bodies, brain-eating amoeba exists in geothermal water, warm water that manufacturing and processing plants discharge, soil, poorly maintained swimming pools and water heaters. Both non-chlorinated and poorly chlorinated swimming pools provide suitable breeding places for Naegleria fowleri (Cajigal, 9). In addition to that, the Naegleria fowleri exist in aquariums and mud puddles. The Naegleria fowleri thrives at higher temperatures rising to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit). This amoeba can survive for a shorter while in temperatures beyond the above mentioned. The brain-eating amoeba is absent in salt water. In the United States, the amoeba mostly affects people living in Southwestern and southern states (Animal Planet, n.p). Naegleria fowleri enters the human body through the nose during activities such as water-skiing, diving or other water sports that increase the probability of water getting into the nose (Pond, 171). Other instances recorded to have caused infections include people dipping their heads in geothermal water, commonly known as hot springs, or people cleaning their nostrils using untreated water flowing from the taps. Once the Naegleria fowleri enters the body through the nostrils, chemicals used in communication by nerve cells pull