As the boy was swimming on the beach, the amoeba entered through his nose and infected him (Photo: Wikipedia). , Florida, United States United States. Young Carl Ziegelbauer is hospitalized in serious condition with an illness called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
According to the authorities, the infection took place on July 1. As the boy was swimming on the beach, the amoeba entered his nose and infected him.
Five days after the dive, Ziegelbauer was hospitalized with symptoms of malaise, fever and headache, accompanied by hallucinations and disorientation. However, the case was not announced until ten days later.
Also according to authorities in charge of the case, the protozoan Naegleria fowleri, known as the braineating amoeba, entered the victim’s body through her nose and soon reached her nervous system. The tests confirmed the infection.
The teenager has since been hospitalized and the damage to his brain has worsened his condition.
high mortality rate
Cases of infection by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri are considered rare, but the mortality rate is over 97%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Between 1962 and 2021, only 154 incidents were recorded in the United States, with only four people surviving.
The braineating amoeba lives freely in untreated warm water and can enter the human body through the nose or mouth if the person ingests the contaminated water. Inside the body, the parasite travels to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue.
The first symptoms are: frontal headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. In the next stage, the infected person may experience a stiff neck, convulsions, altered mental status, and hallucinations. Death can occur in as little as two weeks.