This is getting a bit strange. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 32 infections caused by amoeba organisms, known as Naegleria fowleri, were reported between 2001 and 2010. However in just one month, two cases have been reported and both were fatal.

News that a 9-year-old Virginia boy died recently of a brain infection linked to a water-borne “brain-eating amoeba” is bound to raise concern as water-lovers look for ways to cool off in the dog days of summer. It’s the second death in the last month linked to the same parasitic infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which confirmed that a 16-year-old Floridan, Courtney Nash, died Saturday not long after swimming in St. John’s river.

The culprit is a microscopic organism that’s found in freshwater lakes, rivers, and hot springs that enters someone’s body via the nose. From there it travels to the brain where it attacks vulnerable brain tissue.

Well just in case we are under attack by an organized amoeba movement. What can you do to protect yourself? Here are a few tips from our friends at the CDC:

  • Naegleria fowleri infections occur mainly in July, August, and September and infections are most likely when it is hot for prolonged periods of time
  • The infection cannot spread from one person to another.
  • Death results within 1 to 12 days of the infection.
  • The CDC recommends refraining from stirring up lake sediment while swimming in shallow or warm freshwater.
  • Keep your nose shut or use nose clips.
  • Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas.
  • If you encounter fever, headaches, a stiff neck, and vomiting after being in warm freshwater recently, contact a physician immediately.

Autopsy results confirmed the cause of death as an inflammation of the brain and its lining. The victim’s mother said the boy, Christian Alexander Strickland, had attended a fishing day camp at several locations the week before he died.

Although the Naegleria fowleri infection has been reported around the world, most of the cases in the United States have been linked to freshwater sources in the southern states. The amoeba proliferates in stagnant freshwater lakes and ponds during hot weather.

Amoebas have a single cell that appears to be not much more than cytoplasm held together by a flexible cell wall. Floating in this cytoplasm all kinds of cell bodies can be found. The most obvious is the nucleus. Some species have only one nucleus; others may have hundreds of nuclei.

Apart from the nucleus, the cell may contain water expelling vesicles and all kinds of inclusions (digested food). Many species of amoeba also bear small crystals.

PAM and GAE are both extremely rare but continue to be reported. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is more common in warmer regions and in the warmer months of spring and summer. From 1937-2007, 121 cases (0-8 per year) were reported. Approximately 60 cases of Balamuthia GAE have been reported since 1975. Those caused by Sappinia are even more rare.

More than 440 cases have been reported; although rare, cases of PAM and granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE) have been reported worldwide, reflecting the ubiquity of the organisms. More than 125 cases of Balmuthia GAE have been reported since 1975. Most reports come from the United States, Australia, and Europe; this frequency is likely because of identification and reporting bias. In addition, a predominance of cases occurs in warmer climes and during warmer seasons of the year.

These infections are nearly uniformly fatal. Only 5 survivors of PAM have been reported; this represents approximately 3% of reported cases. The high mortality rate is likely because of the difficulty of diagnosis and poor-to-marginal response to therapy. In most individuals with PAM or GAE, diagnosis is made after their deaths.

Written by Sy Kraft