KARACHI: A 34-year-old man died at a private hospital in Karachi while battling with Naegleria Fowleri also known as “brain-eating amoeba”.
The latest victim of the Naegleria was a resident of Liaquiatabad who identified as Shoaib.
According to the Health Department, three people have died due to the same amoeba this year.
Naegleria Fowleri And Its Treatment
Naegleria fowleri is a free-living, bacteria-eating amoeba that can be pathogenic, causing a fulminant (sudden and severe) and fatal brain infection called naegleriasis.
This microorganism is typically found in bodies of warm freshwater, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and hot springs.
It is also found in the soil near warm-water discharges of industrial plants, and in unchlorinated or minimally-chlorinated swimming pools. It can be seen in either an amoeboid or temporary flagellate stage.
The core antimicrobial treatment consists of antifungal drug amphotericin B, which inhibits the pathogen by binding to its cell membrane sterols, thus leading to cell membrane disruption and pathogen death, however, the fatality rate even with this treatment is greater than 95%.
