A South Korean man who returned from Thailand died of an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri a “brain-eating” amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater bodies. The report cited the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), which said the 50-year-old man had been in Thailand for four months before entering Korea on December 10.
Symptoms of meningitis
The man began showing symptoms of meningitis headache, fever, vomiting, slurred speech and a stiff neck the evening after his arrival and died 11 days later. The cause of death was confirmed by an autopsy. The Korean Times reported that this was the country’s first confirmed case of Naegleria fowleri infection, adding that the KDCA had not yet disclosed details of the transmission.
What is Naegleria fowleri, or “brain-eating” amoeba infection:
– Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba (a single-celled organism) that can cause infections in the brain, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is found in soil and in warm freshwater bodies such as lakes, rivers and hot springs.
– The disease caused by this naegleria fowleri is called “primary amoebic meningoencephalitis” (PAM), which is generally considered fatal; from 1962 to 2021, only four out of 154 people in the United States survived the infection.
– The disease – “primary amoebic meningoencephalitis” – is difficult to detect in the initial stages because it spreads quickly; it usually does not appear until after the patient has died.
– The disease has two sets of symptoms. Patients may experience severe frontal headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting in the first phase, neck stiffness, seizures, altered mental status and hallucinations in the second phase. In severe cases, the patient may even fall into a coma.
– According to the CDC, there is currently no evidence of human-to-human transmission of Naegleria fowleri infection. It also cannot spread by water vapor or aerosol droplets.
– There is currently no vaccine, but the disease can be treated with some combinations of drugs such as amphotericin B, azithromycin, fluconazole, rifampin, miltefosine and dexamethasone, which have been used in patients who have survived the infection.