United States: Experts claim that 2023 was the hottest year in the past 2,000 years, and there are expectations that 2024 will be equally intense. Many people turn their ways towards freshwater lakes and polls to cool off; however, there are threats that, with an increase in the temperature, the organisms that can live in them may shift, posing harmful as well as lethal threats.
One such threat is Naegleria fowleri (which is also known as N fowleri), which can infect a large number of people. It is a single-celled organism that survives in warm temperatures, especially in soil and fresh water. It can also survive in lakes, well water, rivers, hot springs, tap water, and swimming pools which are not well maintained.
Why is N Fowleri a threat?
The health authorities have termed the tiny organism a “brain-eating amoeba” because it can enter the brain through nerves in the nose. The amoeba is responsible for causing a fatal health condition known as ‘primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).’
Experts have suggested that PAM-linked N fowleri is rarely found in the United States; in a year, around zero to eight confirmed cases have been reported.
While every instance of PAM is a result of N. fowleri infiltration, this lethal affliction is frequently misinterpreted as other prevalent neurological infections, such as bacterial meningitis and viral encephalitis. These erroneous diagnoses can result in overlooked PAM cases.
Manifestations of PAM usually commence one to twelve days following exposure to the amoeba, with the afflicted succumbing within one to eighteen days post-symptom onset. The diagnostic procedure for N. fowleri infection is protracted, further obfuscating timely identification, and no targeted pharmacological treatments exist to eradicate the amoeba.
Traditionally, documented N. fowleri infections have been prevalent in the warmer, southern states. However, recent observations have identified the amoeba—along with resultant infections—further north, encompassing regions like Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. This northward migration is attributed to climate change.
The detection of infections in higher latitudes has alarmed researchers, prompting concerns that rising temperatures might escalate the prevalence of N. fowleri infections.
Leigha Stahl, a distinguished faculty member at the University of Alabama, has recently disseminated research on how environmental changes influence the proliferation of N. fowleri populations. Stahl’s findings reveal that N fowleri can endure temperature fluctuations that other aquatic microorganisms cannot. This tenacity allows the amoeba to outlast its competitors, thereby augmenting its resource access.
According to Stahl, the amoeba thrives across a spectrum of temperatures and acidity levels. It can proliferate in temperatures up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) and has also been observed to flourish in temperatures as low as 80 F (26 C).
She was further quoted saying, “It can definitely thrive in a variety of different environments.”
She further mentioned that with an increase in temperature in the lakes and rivers of the United States, a better environment for Nfowleri to flourish will be made.
While addressing the same, a professor of microbiology and public health at the University of Arizona – Charles Gerba, stated, “What you might see is spikes in these organisms after an extreme weather event. So the more nutrients in the water, the more bacteria you’ll get,” as per Live Science.
In addition to this, Stahl added, “You could have less dissolved oxygen … more blooms of different things … maybe a greater proliferation of bacteria. And if there’s a greater amount of prey sources in the water, maybe that would allow the N. fowleri to eat more or be happier.”