Scientists Ring the Alarm About ‘Particularly Dangerous’ Organisms That Are a ‘Rising Threat’

NEED TO KNOW

• Scientists are sounding the alarm about the “global public health challenge” presented by amoebas

• The single-celled organisms can cause fatal illnesses, and researchers said there is an “urgent need” to address their threat

• The warming climate creates more hospitable environments for them to grow, researchers said

Scientists say there is an “urgent need” to address the “rising threat” certain organisms pose to public health.

The single-celled, shapeless organism amoeba is a “global public health challenge,” researchers said in an article in the journal Biocontaminant, citing Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba as being of particular concern.

Naegleria fowleri is commonly called the “brain-eating amoeba” because of how it infects and destroys brain tissue. People can come in contact with it while swimming or using tap water for a neti pot. Acanthamoeba — also linked to neti pot use — have caused parasitic eye and skin infections, and can cause a grave brain and spinal cord infection, Granulomatous Encephalitis, that can be fatal.

The article’s corresponding author Longfei Shu, from Sun Yat sen University, said in a press release,  “What makes these organisms particularly dangerous is their ability to survive conditions that kill many other microbes.”

Shu added, “They can tolerate high temperatures, strong disinfectants like chlorine, and even live inside water distribution systems that people assume are safe.”

A warming global climate has increased the environments where such amoeba thrive, the researchers said, theorizing that the “actual exposure level” to amoebas “is likely far greater than currently recognized,” which could mean there is a “significant burden of undiagnosed and underreported infections.”

In recent years, the organisms have been linked to parasitic infections, some fatal: A woman in Alabama went blind after contracting Acanthamoeba while swimming in contact lenses; Another woman said her eye turned gray from an Acanthamoeba eating her cornea.

A 12-year-old boy died after contracting Naeglaria fowleri from a local lake, and a man in Missouri also died after contracting the parasite while waterskiing.

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As Shu pointed out in the press release, “Amoebae are not just a medical issue or an environmental issue. They sit at the intersection of both, and addressing them requires integrated solutions that protect public health at its source.”

“Given the rising global incidence of amoeba-related diseases, there is an urgent need for more proactive public health surveillance and intervention efforts,” the Biocontaminant article stated.

Read the original article on People