Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume 8, Issue 4 , Pages 201-206 , July 2010

Swimming with death: Naegleria fowleri infections in recreational waters

  • Travis W. Heggie

      Affiliations

    • University of North Dakota, Recreation & Tourism Studies Program, University Mail Stop #7116, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
    • University of North Dakota, Great Plains Injury Prevention Research Initiative, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationUniversity of North Dakota, Recreation & Tourism Studies Program, University Mail Stop #7116, Grand Forks, ND, 58202, U.S.A. Tel.: +1 701 777 2978; fax: +1 701 777 3845.

Received 12 March 2010 ,Revised 13 June 2010 ,Accepted 17 June 2010.

References 

  1. Towner J, Wall G. History and tourism. Ann Tourism Res. 1991;18:71–84
  2. Sukthana Y, Lekkla A, Sutthikornchai C, Wanapongse P, Vejjajiva A, Bovornkitti S. Spa, springs and safety. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2005;36(Suppl. 4):10–16
  3. Arizona daily star. Brain-eating amoeba kills Arizona boy. (accessed 03.08.10) <http://www.seattlepi.com/national/334534_braineatingamoeba.html?source=mypi>
  4. Cervantes-Sandoval I, Serrano-Luna J, Garcia-Latorre E, Tsutsumi V, Shibayama M. Characterization of brain inflammation during primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Parasitol Intl. 2008;57:307–313
  5. Schuster FL, Visvesvara GS. Free-living amoeba as opportunistic and non-opportunistic Pathogens of humans and animals. Intl J Parasitol. 2004;34:1001–1027
  6. Lebbadi M, Valdivia E, Galvez A, Martinez-Bueno M, Maqueda M. Cocultivation of the amoeba Naegleria fowleri and the Amoebicin-producing strain Bacillus licheniformis M-4. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995;1649–1652
  7. Gupta S. Isolation of Naegleria fowleri from pond water in West Bengal, India. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1992;86:46
  8. Visvesvara GS, Moura H, Schuster FL. Pathogenic and opportunistic free-living amoebae: acanthamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri, and Sappinia diploidea. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2007;50:1–26
  9. Fowler M, Carter RF. Acute pyogenic meningitis probably due to Acanthamoeba sp.: a preliminary report. BMJ. 1965;2:740–742
  10. Butt CG. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis. N Eng J Med. 1966;274:1473–1476
  11. John DT. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis and the biology of Naegleria Fowleri. Ann Rev Microbiol. 1982;36:101–123
  12. Lekkla A, Sutthikornchai C, Bovornkitti S, Sukthana Y. Free-living ameba contamination in natural hot spring in Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2005;36(Suppl. 4):5–9
  13. Izumiyama S, Yagita K, Furushima-Shimogawara R, Asakura T, Karasudani T, Endo T. Occurrence and distribution of Naegleria species in thermal waters in Japan. J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2003;50:514–515
  14. Cogo PE, Scaglia M, Gatti S, Rossetti F, Alaggio R, Laverda AM, et al. Fatal Naegleria fowleri meningoencephalitis, Italy. Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:1835–1837
  15. Willaert E. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. A selected bibliography and tabular survey of cases. Ann Soc Belge Med Trop. 1974;54:416–440
  16. Van den Driessche E, Vandepitte J, Van Dijck PJ, De Johnckheere J, Van de Voorde H. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis after swimming in stream water. Lancet. 1973;2:971
  17. Cain AR, Man PG, Warhurst DC. IgA and primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Lancet. 1979;1:441
  18. Cursons RT, Brown TJ, Keys EA, Gordon EH, Leng RH, Havill JH, et al. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in an indoor heat exchange swimming pool. NZ Med J. 1979;90:330–331
  19. Center for Disease Control . Naeglereia fowleri in a California hot spring. Morbid Mortal Weekly Rep. 1978;27:343–344
  20. Cursons RTM, Brown TJ. The 1968 New Zealand cases of primary amoebic meningoencephallitis – myxomycete or Naegleria?. NZ Med J. 1975;82:123–125
  21. Barnett NDP, Kaplan AM, Hopkin RJ, Saubolle MA, Rudinsky MF. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis with Naegleria fowleri: clinical review. Pediatr Neurol. 1996;15:230–234
  22. Rose JB, Epstein PR, Lipp EK, Sherman BH, Bernard SM, Patz JA. Climate variability and change in the United States: potential impacts on water and foodborne disease caused by microbiologic agents. Environ Health Perspt. 2001;109(Suppl. 2):211–220
  23. Ma P, Visvesvara GS, Martinez AJ, Theodore FH, Daggett PM, Sawyer TK. Naegleria and Acanthamoeba infections: review. Rev Infect Dis. 1990;12:490–510
  24. Jarolim KL, McCosh JK, Howard MJ, John DT. A light microscopy study of the migration of Naegleria fowleri from the nasal submucosa to the central nervous system during the early stage of primary amebic meningoencephalitis in mice. J Parasitol. 2000;86:50–55
  25. Jarolim KL, McCosh JK, Howard MJ. The role of blood vessels and lungs in the dissemination of Naegleria fowleri following intranasal inoculation in mice. Folia Parasitol. 2002;49:183–188
  26. Rojas-Hernandez S, Jarillo-Luna A, Rodriguez-Monroy M, Moreno-Fierros L, Campos-Rodriguez R. Immunohistochemical characterization of the initial stages of Naegleria fowleri meningoencephalitis in mice. Parasitol Res. 2004;94:31–36
  27. John DT, Cole TB, Bruner RA. Amebostomes of Naegleria fowleri. J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2007;32:12–19
  28. Craun GF, Calderon RL, Craun MF. Outbreaks associated with recreational water in the United States. Intl J Environ Health Res. 2005;15:243–262
  29. Martinez AJ, Visvesvara GS. Free-living amphizoic and opportunistic ameba. Brain Pathol. 1997;7:583–598
  30. Aldape K, Huizinga H, Bouvier J, McKerrow J. Naegleria fowleri: characterization of secreted histolytic cysteine protease. Exp Parasitol. 1994;78:230–241
  31. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Primary amebic meningoencephalitis–Arizona, Florida, and Texas, 2007. Morbidity Mortality Weekly Rep. 2008;57:573–577
  32. Apley J, Clarke SKR, Roome APCH, Sandry SA, Saygi G, Silk B, et al. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Britian. BMJ. 1970;1:596–599
  33. Hannisch W, Hallagan LF. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis: a review of the clinical literature. Wilderness Enviro Med. 1997;8:211–213
  34. Seidal JS, Harmatz P, Visvesvara GS, Edwards CA, Turner J. Successful treatment of primary amebic meningoencephalitis. N Eng J Med. 1982;306:346–348
  35. Vargas-Zepeda J, Gomez-Alcala AV, Vasquez-Morales JA, Licea-Amaya L, Jonckheere JF, Lares-Villa F. Successful treatment of Naegleria fowleri meningoencephalitis by using intravenous amphotericin B, fluconazole and rifampicin. Arch Med Res. 2005;36:83–86
  36. Taimur S, Rabbani M, Jamil B. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis: two new cases from Pakistan. Trop Doctor. 2009;39:242–243
  37. Kaushal V, Chhina DK, Ram S, Singh G, Kaushal RK, Kumar R. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis due to Naegleria fowleri. J Assoc Physicians India. 2008;56:459–462
  38. Jain R, Prabhakar S, Modi M, Bhatia R, Sehgal R. Naegleria meningitis: a rare survival. Neurol India. 2002;50:470–472
  39. Kathy BS, Jennifer AF, Michael JF, Joan MH. PCR detection and analysis of the free-living amoeba Naegleria in hot springs in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003;5914–5918

PII: S1477-8939(10)00098-0

doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2010.06.001

Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume 8, Issue 4 , Pages 201-206 , July 2010