Naegleria fowleri - (also known as the brain-eating amoeba) is a free-living, thermophilic excavate form of protist typically found in warm bodies of fresh water, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and hot springs. It is also found in soil, near warm-water discharges of industrial plants, and in poorly chlorinated, or unchlorinated swimming pools, in an amoeboid or temporary flagellate stage. There is no evidence of this organism living in salt water. It is an amoeba belonging to the phylum Percolozoa. N. fowleri can invade and attack the human nervous system and brain, causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Although this occurs rarely, such an infection nearly always results in the death of the victim. The case fatality rate is greater than 95%. cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 10:34:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015