Amoeba 'zombie' strikes again in the United States

The image you see above looks more like a clown mask from a macabre horror movie - and we can't deny that it also resembles that of "Everybody in a Panic" - yet this is a microscopic view of the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, that terrifies those who frequent the waters of lakes, rivers and even water parks in the United States during the summer months.

This amoeba enters people's noses and goes straight to the brain where it destroys brain tissue, causing a type of parasitic meningitis, primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or MAP. Known by the term "brain-eating amoeba" it makes her look like a microscopic skull-chasing zombie. However, the researchers explain that the brain is an accidental food for them.

This is because they usually feed on bacteria, but when it settles in humans, they use brain tissue as their main source of food because it is closest to their entry (via the airways). Therefore, doctors and researchers have warned who will swim in these places, not to dive or cover the nose with their hand or a specific clip for it.

Cases

The most recent case of Naegleria fowleri disease occurred this year with a 12-year-old girl in the US state of Arkansas. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that Kali Hardig contracted the disease after swimming at Willow Springs Water Parkn in Little Rock.

She was taken to a local hospital the day after visiting the water park (which has artificial lakes and swimming pools). "I couldn't get her fever to go down. She said her head hurt too much. So she started throwing up and turning her eyes, " the girl's mother told Live Science.

In the United States, most infections occur in the south of the country during the summer months. However, they are rare. The first symptoms of a Naegleria fowleri infection usually appear within seven days of exposure and include neck stiffness, headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Later, mental confusion, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations.

The parasitic organism has infected 128 people since 1962, with only one surviving and the 12-year-old may be the second. That's because while most victims die within a week of exposure, the amoeba now appears to be missing the girl's spinal fluid, which is responding well to antibiotic treatment and a new German drug, which is used for cancer treatment. breast cancer and proved effective for leishmaniasis.