Limited number of ‘brain-eating’ amoeba cases leads to hurdles in treatment, health experts say
ABC 17 News Team
By Alison Patton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A health expert claims there is no “documented guideline” for treating a rare brain infection that the Department of Health and Senior Services said on Wednesday could have been contracted by someone at the Lake of the Ozarks.
University of Missouri infectious disease expert Dr. Christian Rojas Moreno described the hurdles in treating Naegleria fowleri, which can lead to an infectioncalledprimary amebic meningoencephalitisalso known as a “brain-eating” infection.
Cases of the disease are rare, which makes diagnosing the brain-eating amoeba difficult because the symptoms overlap with other diseases.
Rojas Moreno said symptoms show up about one to 12 days after the amoeba makes its way into the brain by entering through the nose. Meningitis, or inflammation in the brain, is a common symptom of a brain eating amoeba.
“We will evaluate for other causes of meningitis, bacterial viral and others,” Rojas Moreno said. “When that testing is negative, we might start expanding our evaluations.”
Other symptoms include severe headache, fever, stiff neck, vomiting or changes in mental state, Rojas Moreno said. If these symptoms are present, seek medical attention immediately.
A Wednesday press release from the Missouri DHSS called the infection “rare occurrence.”
Once the cause of meningitis is known, doctors can then administer medicine through an IV, Rojas Moreno said.
An epidemiologist from the DHSS told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that treatment can often be difficult because of how few cases health officials see each year. Nathan Koffarnus, of the DHSS, said around three cases occur in the US each year. Rojas Moreno shared a similar sentiment.
“Because it has been probably many, many exposures over the years and the infection numbers are very low,” Rojas Moreno said.
From 1962-2024, there were 167 cases reported around the country, according to the DHSS press release from Wednesday.
Rojas Moreno recommends avoiding exposure if possible, but if not he said wearing a nose clip while swimming in bodies of water where the amoeba could live.
Check back for updates.
Click here to follow the original article.
