1. 5
Stage 1
 Severe frontal headache
 Fever
 Nausea
 Vomiting
Stage 2
 Stiff Neck
 Seizures
 Altered mental Status
 Hallucinations
 Coma
Symptoms
Primary Amoebic
MeningenocephalitisElizabeth Do, Brittney Douress, Courtney Gonzalez, Veronica Hohweiler, Nakato Nsibirwa
General Agent Information
Specific Type: (family/class) Naegleria fowleri
The first Primary Amoebic Meningenocephalitis (PAM)
infection reported in the United States came from Florida in
1962. It is a free-living ameba (single-celled) commonly found
in warm fresh water. It is a fatal disease that affects the central
nervous system. The infection occurs when people go
swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, when
contaminated water from other sources enters the nose (i.e.
inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated and
contaminated tap water). An individual cannot be infected
drinking water contaminated with Naegleria.
Life Cycle
Pictured above is the first stage of
N. fowleri known as the
trophozoite stage. It is the
infectious stage of this protozoon.
If there is a small change in
environment, the trophozoite will
change into a flagellated stage.
When conditions are drastic (cold
temperatures, food scarcity, etc.)
the protozoon will change it to its
last stage/form, which is a cyst.
([Untitled photograph of Naegleria
fowleri]. Retrieved April 20, 2015,
from:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegl
eria/pathogen.html)
This image represents N. fowleri life cycles in different
temperatures.[Untitled photograph of transmission].
Retrieved April 20, 2015, from: http://www.cdc.gov/
parasites/Naegleria/pathogen.html)
APRIL 2015INFECTIOUS DISEASE

2. 6
Range
Risk Factors
Transmission
Treatment
For more information:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/treatment.html
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/naegleria-infection/basics/treatment/con-20034093
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/swimming.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/naegleria-infection/basics/prevention/con-20034093
Prevention
No method currently exists that accurately and reproducibly measures the numbers of amebae in the water.
This makes it unclear how a standard might be set to protect human health and how public health officials
would measure and enforce such a standard.
During the summer months, try and avoid swimming in fresh bodies of water/fresh water with high
temperatures. If you do swim in these specific areas make sure water does not enter the nasal cavity.
Treatment has to be given as soon as possible for
any chance of survival. Even with treatment
provided, there isn’t too much luck on survival.
A person swimming in the contaminated water
can be infected if the ameba enters the body
through the nose. Then travels through the nasal
mucosa to the brain, where it destroys the brain
tissue. [Please refer to image]
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Infected people were often reported to have
participated in water-related activities such as
swimming underwater, diving, and head dunking
that could have caused water to go up the nose.
No data exist to accurately estimate the true risk
of PAM. Hundreds of millions of visits to
swimming venues occur each year in the U.S.
that result in 0-8 infections per year. The
extremely low occurrence of
PAM makes epidemiologic study difficult.
([Untitled photograph of transmission]. Retrieved April 20, 2015,
from: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/pathogen.html)
The ameba is commonly found in warm
freshwater (e.g. lakes, rivers, and hot springs)
and soil.
Infections have primarily occurred in southern-
tier states in the U.S., but infections were
documented in Minnesota in 2010 and 2012 and
other northern states since that time. Over half of
all reported infections have occurred in Florida
and Texas.
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