Teen dies from ‘brain-eating amoeba’ just days after young girl succumbs to same rare infection
“The initial symptoms are actually quite nonspecific — they don’t point to one disease or another — but they can progress very rapidly,” Kahn noted.
Diagnosis involves testing cerebrospinal fluid obtained through a spinal tap; specialized laboratory testing may be needed.
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Symptoms usually begin about five days after exposure, although they can appear anywhere from one to 12 days later. Once symptoms start, the disease progresses rapidly.
Most people die within one to 18 days after symptoms begin, typically around five days, per the CDC.
Prevention of infection
To prevent potentially fatal infections, Kahn recommends either avoiding the types of waters where the amoeba is likelier to be found, or taking added precautions.
The amoeba is most active in the months that the water temperature stays elevated. (iStock)
“If you are swimming in those waters, wear a nose clip, don’t put your head underwater, those types of things,” he said.
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Drinking contaminated water does not present a risk, and the infection does not spread from one person to another.
Because the amoeba is found in soil, the CDC also recommends avoiding stirring up the sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers.
Treatment of brain-eating amoebas
When a patient has been diagnosed with a brain-eating amoeba, treatment involves a combination of antimicrobial and anti-amoebic medications, including amphotericin B, azithromycin, rifampin and miltefosine.
“There has been a cocktail of antibiotics and antimicrobials that have been tried over the years — but with a very, very small number of cases every year, it’s tough to draw any conclusions from that,” Kahn said.
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“In the cases we’ve seen, we typically throw a lot of these antibiotics as a therapeutic modality, but by the time the [amoeba] enters the brain and starts to basically erode the brain tissue, it’s too late.”
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Those who experience sudden headache, fever, stiff neck or vomiting — especially if they have recently been swimming in warm freshwater — should seek immediate medical attention, the CDC recommends.
Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/teen-dies-brain-eating-amoeba-days-after-young-girl-succumbs-same-rare-infection