Naegleria fowleri, other than sounding like the name of an obscure and sinister African made amphibious automobile, is the actual scientific name of an amoeba that lives in lukewarm water. Historically, this amoeba hasn’t been much of a problem because most water where it could thrive was too cold for humans to swim in recreationally. However, climate changes of late have warmed these waters up slightly and now, Naegleria fowleri flourishes in them.
The result is that the CDC in Atlanta, reports that 32 Americans have contracted the amoeba since 2002, and only one survived (Chuck Norris?) giving the bacteria a 99% kill rate (Chuck Norris?).
The CDC though, is also stating that some of the people that have had the bacteria in their nostrils, caught it by using a neti pot to flush out their sinus cavities so if you’re going to pour water up your nose, make sure it’s a sterile saline solution such as my beloved Hydrasense, that has helped me pull through the last few Canadian winters.
Most of the other contamination’s by Naegleria fowleri have been through swimming in warm water, and with the current climate changes warming the waters up, Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says: “This is definitely something we need to track, it’s is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better, in future decades, as temperatures rise, we’d expect to see more cases.”
Amoeba Sushi anyone?
[Source]
