Recently, aboy in Texas diedof an infection with what headlines are calling a brain-eating amoeba.
Unlike other catchy nicknames for little-known life forms (remembermurder hornets?
), this one accurately describes the organism in question.
Its an amoeba, and in rare cases it does actually feed on human brain tissue.
What actually causes this infection?
How does it get into your brain?
We dont have to worry about swallowingN.
fowleriour stomachs would digest it.
Its also not transmitted by surfaces or coughs.
No, it seems to require that water containing the amoeba go directly up our nose.
This is why its so rare, because how often do you put warm water up your nose?
How does it kill you?
Often, a loss of smell and taste is one of the first signs of infection.
From the olfactory bulbs,it proceeds to the rest of the brainwhere it can be deadly.
Your brain is being eaten, and its also being attacked by your own immune system.
(Inflammation is the immune system trying tohelp, but there can also be collateral damage.
The result is a condition calledprimary amoebic encephalitis, or PAM.
Is it coming for me next?
The good news aboutN.
fowleriinfection is that its very rare.
There have only been 145 reported cases in the US since the 1960s.
In some years, there are zero; in others, just a few.
Most of the northern half of the UShasnt recorded any cases at all.
In everyday life, theres no specific thing to do to prevent it.
