This is only the second time the infection has been seen in Israel (Picture: Shutterstock/Kateryna Kon)
A man has died after being infected with ‘brain-eating amoeba’ in the second-recorded case of the rare infection in Israel.
The amoeba, known as naegleria fowleri, is a single-celled organism that wriggles into the brain through the nose and can cause a fatal infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
Unsurprisingly, it gets its name from how it feasts on people’s brain matter. People tend to die within a week or two.
Experts say it thrives in warm temperatures and is commonly found in freshwater, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs, as well as soil.
The man, who has not been named, was described as a healthy 25-year-old believed to have come into contact with the microbe while swimming at Gai Beach, Kinneret.
He was admitted to Sharon Hospital last Tuesday while suffering from fever, headaches and vomiting, the Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported.
The patient was transferred to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah, with the hospital saying: ‘Medical teams used everything at their disposal, including drug treatments and surgical interventions in order to save the patient’s life, but his condition continued to deteriorate.’
He died Sunday, the hospital said.
What is ‘brain eating amoeba’?
Yeah, it’s as disturbing as it sounds.
Where is naegleria fowleri found?
Naegleria fowleri is an exceptionally lethal microbe that lurks in warm freshwater ponds and other bodies of water.
Lakes, rivers and hot springs tend to be where it calls home. But the amoeba can also be present in soil and hide in pipes connected to tap water.
Two cases have previously been linked to neti pots – ceramic or plastic pots used to clear sinuses. Water discharge from industrial plants is another known spot.
It’s not found at all in salt water.
How can I catch brain-eating amoeba?
Naegleria fowleri usually feasts on bacteria but brain matter is on the menu once it’s inside a person (Picture: Getty)
The nose is the main way naegleria fowleri enters the body.
Infection usually occurs in swimmers and divers, with water where the amoeba is present flushing into their noses.
But you cannot get infected by touching contaminated water or by swallowing it, the CDC says.
The infection also can not be passed from one person to another.
Does… it really eat your brain?
Most of the time, the amoeba happily gobbles up bacteria floating around the water.
But if a human is bopping around the water, and a rush of water flushes it into that person’s nose, it finds a new source of food: that person’s brain.
It moves up to the brain via the olfactory never.
The tiny creatures eat astrocytes – cells that carry out essential central nervous system functions – and neurons, destroying brain tissue.
What are the symptoms?
Early signs of infection – called PAM – can include headache, nausea and vomiting. These start about five days after infection.
These symptoms can be easily confused with meningitis, meaning it’s crucial people admitted to hospital tell doctors they have recently taken a dip in freshwater.
The infection progresses very quickly – most suffering from it die within one or two weeks.
There are only a few treatment options (Picture: Shutterstock / Kateryna Kon)
Stiff next, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance and hallucinations are other symptoms. In a patient’s final moments, they may also experience seizures or fall into a coma.
Infections are rare but almost always deadly. Between 1962 and 2021, only four of 154 known victims survived in the US.
Only 400 cases have been diagnosed worldwide.
Who is most at risk?
Young boys are, according to American health officials.
‘While the reasons are unclear, young boys might participate in more water activities like diving and playing in the sediment at the bottom of lakes and rivers,’ the CDC says in a fact sheet.
How is it treated?
Amphotericin B and fluconazole are the go-to for treatment.
But a promising way to halt the amoeba is miltefosine, an anti-cancer drug. Researchers have also found coating silver particles with anti-seizure drugs is also effective at killing the organism.
How can I avoid being infected?
Easy really. Most infections happen when swimming in warm bodies of water, so swimmers and divers are advised to prevent water from entering their noses.
Hold your nose or use a nose clip, experts say. Avoid putting your head underwater and stirring up the dirt or mud.
Israeli health officials are investigating the man’s death. Inspectors did not find any trace of the amoeba at Gai Beach.
This is the second person in Israel to die of PAM caused by the amoeba. A man, 36, died in August 2022 of PAM.
But specialists only realised he’d been suffering from PAM after spending samples to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US.
The infection has a 97% mortality rate, but officials stress it is incredibly rare.
However, cases are rising in the US, with experts fearing that climate change is turning up the heat in freshwater lakes and ponds.
Naegleria fowleri prefers water around 38°C but can survive frigid winters by burying itself in sediment.
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