The Brain Eating Parasite And Another Death - Naegleria Fowleri

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

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[@SatyamRoy-nv3ic]

Bro I am from India and yesterday I swim in a river and now it is 2 nd day and I have a headache does I am suffering from it

[@Falling_Star_Catcher]

I've been paranoid about this for years! When I clean my CPAP water chamber, I make sure there is not-one-drop of water left in any part of it. Same with the hose. Swimming in lakes, no way. I do live dangerously by using a nettie pot from time-to-time, but always with distilled water at least. Very informative. Thank you.

[@scmay29]

You're paranoid about something that is so incredibly rare...just about everything else you do or encounter in your daily life is more risky

[@ebonyf9464]

Wow. This is a very informative video. My husband is from Florida and said that city where unfortunately the man passed is only 45 mins away from his home town. So sad!

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Thank you for the kind words and wow that is very sad!

[@gunyoudownagain]

😊

[@kathysharp7551]

New style looks good. Thanks for all the info!

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Thank you, kindly!

[@davidmbeckmann]

We have had two in Minnesota, in the very southern part of the state, a lake near Stillwater in the SE corner. Both in the same lake, a girl and a boy, both fatalities, a couple years apart. Nobody swims in that lake anymore, and it is heavily posted AFTER the second death. Someone is claiming PAM from Bemidji, but no autopsy, so no proof. And the lakes up there freeze deep and hard, like the soil, so I doubt it. GREAT CASE, thank you!

[@incyphe]

omg, what a horrible and scary infection! Thank you for the informative video as always.

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Always our pleasure! Thank goodness it is so rare!

[@robertgould8099]

I am a physician, but like most, I've had no experience treating amoebic infections. I do note, however, that the often ridiculed Ivermectin is supposed to be effective treatment for amoebiasis. Treatment would have to be started early and stupid restrictions on its availability by government edict might help erase this danger.

[@runderwo]

In this case the utility might be limited because ivermectin is a large molecule that doesn't cross the BBB and in rare cases where it does it has demonstrated neurotoxicity. The much maligned chlorine dioxide should be examined as a salvage treatment for these rare cases.

[@greggorsag9787]

New video style is great. More dynamic and thus a bit easier to follow/more engaging. Despite the rarity of this infection, there are some interesting contextual points I’ve seen: First, cases appear to be moving north with warning temps. Migratory waterfowl are thought to spread it on flyways, and if the weather doesn’t produce cold enough water temperatures, it can survive. Note that Minnesota has shallow lakes (no deeper, colder water to circulate around) and is on the Central Flyway. But I suspect it will continue to move north with warming. Next, while it does sometimes survive in municipal water systems (Australia and New Orleans had known issues, I believe), processing should generally destroy it. That said, as you note, it is never good to put tap water into one’s sinuses without ensuring that it is sterile. Finally, the concentration does appear to influence risk. Many people swim in contaminated water without infection. I read a paper that suggested that the dose had to be significant for high infection risk. This may also be why many (most?) infections are in kids (less careful, often splashing around/playing in shallow water, kicking up sediment where the amoeba lives) or adults using neti pots (where the intentional ingestion of the water increases exposure). There have been some in water parks as well. So it’s likely an increasing risk in the north, but still very rare and generally linked to specific circumstances.

[@alexzaevchimreira]

I hope we get a vaccine for this in Canada and USA

[@sueyoung2115]

Charlotte county, Fl. was a site of the worst floods from hurricane Ian, in the end of August, 2022. As the flood water receded, the temperature and humidity went up. Perfect conditions for the parasites to proliferate in uncountable bodies of water.

[@GumriRN]

Really Cool video. I enjoy learning about rare & weird diseases. I remember way back in Nursing school we learned about various health practices people used to clear their sinuses. Usually they use a saline solution BUT there’s a treatment using either tap or salt water called: “French Toilet”. It’s weird what obscure things we remember. What a way to go, a Lamprey-like Ameba causing a deadly Encephalitis. Are first I thought maybe the “Red Tide” Would’ve been the culprit. But that’s in salt water.

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Same here Deni! And we often reflect on what odd things seem to take residence in our brain from teachings past!

[@sueyoung2115]

Thanks for this synopsis! I did a bunch of research on my own a few days ago when I first saw it in the news! Horrible! Glad I moved away from Florida!

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Always our pleasure!!

[@ashishsirkcsacademy8859]

Can one get infected if a few droplets of water splash in nostrils but not with a lot of force but like splashing from a vessel. It is summer and we use borewell water that is not chlorinated. Please help as I am very worried. Also can NADCC tablets kill N Fowleri or only bleaching powder is effective?

[@zaray506]

Like how much and how deep should the water go inside of my nose for the ameba to cause the infection

[@mugzyb7257]

Could you also cover dioxin? And how under the EP A’s supervision, this was released during the “controlled burn” in Ohio? Thanks

[@deebz2626]

I had a brain eating amoeba once, poor fella died of hungry

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Hahah well played

[@mballer]

What in the body kills it for those who are exposed to it and are not harmed?

[@buombothmut]

You're super doctor ❤ so your presentation is so great

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

That’s quite kind, we appreciate you!

[@jonanon8193]

For a neti pot, does boiling the water first kill the parasite?

[@djnv4702]

I’ve read to always use distilled water or pre boil your own water, then let cool until it’s the right temp. Probably a good idea to boil for 4-5 minutes just to be sure. 🤷‍♀️

[@sheryl3268]

Thanks! Interesting. Format good for me either way.

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Thank you Sheryl!

[@bigfathairymarmot]

Speaking of brain parasites you should do a video on Baylisascaris procyonis

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

We will add it to the list!

[@guytelfer1353]

When the negleri fowleria attaches its suction does it grow in size? It's definitely worm related, are the negleri offspring of worms?

[@bunnyben5607]

It's an amoeba, which is a single celled organism

[@guytelfer1353]

@@bunnyben5607 right and so were we

[@rajkiran6707]

Hello.. are these amoebas present in the underground waters? we use this water for bathing and also to clean the opening of our nose.

[@subell44]

Ratlung disease? Simular...?

[@mballer]

How long can this parasite survive with different nitrogen and carbon dioxide levels compared to brain cells? What levels are lethal to it?

[@nancysatkinson1568]

" IF NOT TREATED CORRECTLY & IMMEDIATELY " IT IS 99% FATAL !"

[@KevinPullins]

Did we purposefully negate AMA imaging to help brain imflamation?

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

We are unsure what AMA imaging is!

[@Matowix]

There must be many more varients why no coverage ? It didn't stop.

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

In regards to COVID or Naegleria?

[@eloisepharmacist]

If this most recent case was from tap water - then could swimming pools etc. be a risk? Or does chlorine kill it?

[@jonanon8193]

In the 1980's in Australia in the town I was living there was a death from some sort of amoebic meningitis which was thought to have been contracted in a swimming pool. All the local pools greatly increased their chlorine levels, but it's so rare there were no deaths before and none since that I have heard about.

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

As far as we can tell, chlorine kills Naegleria at appropriate conversations. More detail linked below! conditions.health.qld.gov.au/HealthCondition/condition/14/165/101/naegleria-fowleri-qs-and-as

[@jonanon8193]

​@@WhiteboardMedicine I'm guessing the last case in 1981 was the one I mentioned in my earlier comment. It's interesting that previous cases were not publicised at the time of that case. It was in a South Australian town called Whyalla which gets all it's water by an above ground pipeline from around Adelaide some 400km away as does all the towns in that vicinity. The water was chlorinated, but it seems they may have changed the chlorination regime in response to the case. The chlorine in the tap water was always very noticeable, much more so that in other places. Many people didn't like the chlorine taste/smell so they drink from their rainwater tanks (they didn't mind drinking mosquito larvae that were very prevalent in home tankwater - and even made jokes about it). Summers are very hot, typically 35c or more and everyone had an airconditioner in one room of their house (which was not common across all Australia in that era).

[@Andthenandthenandthennoandthen]

I know this is an older video but is it possible to get this if water jetted up your nose in the shower?

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

We have not heard of transmission from something like that. It is incredibly uncommon even from bodies of water! Thanks for checking out the video and for commenting!

[@garthdryland]

The new approach works for me #feedback

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

Appreciate the feedback!!

[@ldjt6184]

Is this similar to PML brain infection in symptoms?

[@WhiteboardMedicine]

PML being progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy tends to have a bit of a different symptomotology, albeit with some overlap. PML is more often characterized by progressive (rather than super rapid) confusion, weakness, gait disturbance, vision/speech/personality changes

[@trueeagle5487]

Alfred Hichcock

[@GumriRN]

Def. Not taking my pup swimming. He just getting a bit better after 3 weeks of Canine Influenza. The Vet ordered symptomatic Hydrocodone & Azithro which I thought was over-Kill but maybe not since it is used with viral conditions. This k9 Influenza (H3N2/H3N8) has become epidemic lately. And I sure hope it doesn’t “Jump Species”! 🥹