What Is 'Brain-Eating' Amoeba? All About Rare Brain Infection That Claimed Kerala Boy's Life

A 14-year-old boy on Wednesday died due to a rare brain infection at a private hospital in Kozhikode. He was under treatment for amoebic meningoencephalitis.

Known to have a high mortality rate, here's all you need to know about amoebic meningoencephalitis, also known as 'brain-eating' amoeba.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis also known as Naegleriasis, is a rare but life-threatening infection of the brain and spinal cord. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba that lives in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and can tolerate temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius.

According to medical experts, the infection is caused when free-living, non-parasitic amoebae bacteria enter the body through the nose from contaminated water. Naegleria fowleri travels up the olfactory nerve to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue and triggers severe inflammation.

PAM is almost invariably fatal. The disease has a mortality rate of 95-100%.

The symptoms of PAM typically develop within 1 to 2 weeks of exposure to contaminated water. According to Cleveland Clinic, symptoms can include:

• High fever.

• Very painful headache.

• Nausea and vomiting.

• Trembling.

• Symptoms like those of meningitis, including a stiff neck and extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia).

• Mental confusion.

• Coma.

Treatment options focus on managing symptoms and combating the amoeba itself. Medications like antifungal drugs (such as amphotericin B) may be used to destroy Naegleria fowleri.

According to US National Library of Medicine, considering the severe and sudden course of the disease and high mortality rates, a combination of drugs is generally used.

In the boy's case, one of the doctors treating him said that the infection was identified and the treatment commenced on the same day. The samples were then sent for testing to a lab in Puducherry from where the printed PCR report confirmed the infection.

Since PAM is a rare but severe illness, preventive measures are essential. Here are some key points for deterrence and patient education:

• Avoid swimming in warm, freshwater sources, especially during hot weather.

• Use a nose clip while swimming in potentially contaminated water

• Keep your head above water when swimming in freshwater, hot springs, and other untreated thermal bodies of water.

• Avoid digging, or stirring up, the sediment while participating in water activities.

• Use boiled, filtered, or sterile water for nasal or sinus irrigation. Avoid tap water. 

The Kerala Health Department had asked people to exercise caution against amoebic meningoencephalitis. "Bathing in stagnant water and diving in water should be avoided as much as possible as this disease has been reported in Kerala. Water in theme parks and swimming pools should be properly chlorinated to ensure that it is clean," it had said.

This is the third case of fatal infection reported in the southern state since May. The first instance was the death of a five-year-old girl from Malappuram on May 21 and the second a 13-year-old girl from Kannur who died on June 25.

According to the health department sources, the child had taken a dip at a small pond. The health authorities have advised people to exercise caution against amoebic meningoencephalitis. The disease was earlier reported in coastal Alappuzha district in the state in 2023 and 2017.

(with PTI inputs)