Deadly Amoeba Found: Texas Authorities Warn Summer Swimmers to Avoid Freshwater

[drunkenshoe]

Deadly Amoeba Found: Texas Authorities Warn Summer Swimmers to Avoid Freshwater

Somebody posted this here. https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25969/20200606/deadly-amoeba-found-texas-authorities-warn-summer-swimmers-avoid-freshwater.htm

... The Naegleria fowleri, amoeba found in most untreated freshwater and in soil, causes a 'rare but usually, a fatal illness called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). They thrive in stagnant, warm freshwater at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Texas weather currently is at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has agreed with local authorities to stay clear of low water levels at these hot temperatures. Officials shared that infection occurs after the amoeba enters the nose into swimmers diving or jumping into rivers, lakes, streams, and ponds.

The amoeba may also be in contaminated water such as tap water or a swimming pool, which is a rare circumstance. Infection cannot be spread nor does the amoeba enter the body by drinking contaminated water. PAM is a brain infection as a result of the amoeba damaging brain tissue.

Symptoms occur about five days after infection which includes headache, nausea, fever, or vomiting. Proceeding symptoms include confusion, lack of attention, loss of balance, stiff neck, seizures, coma, and hallucinations. When symptoms start, the disease moves fast and results in death within about five days.

In North America, there had only been five known survivors from 1978 to 2016 who received, four of which were Americans and one Mexican. The four survivors were part of the 143 total infected persons in 38 years. ...

[aitm]

Texans won’t care, they ain’t afraid of nothing but tornadoes and gays.

[aitm]

Ha! Their biggest fear is a “gay-naydo”.....hehehehehe

[Baruch]

Serious.  Many farm boys have died from ingesting pond water ... if a cow has been near it.  Commonly death by amoeba growth inside you ;-(

[Draconic Aiur]

Well shit.

[Hydra009]

The amoeba may also be in contaminated water such as tap water or a swimming pool

Isn't the whole point of treating drinking water and using pool chemicals in swimming pools to prevent it from being contaminated?

[aitm]

Discovering a reason for a death now that we can, does not mean it has not been happening for a million years without that knowledge.

[Cassia]

Ha! Their biggest fear is a “gay-naydo”.....hehehehehe

Haha...good one !

[Baruch]

Isn't the whole point of treating drinking water and using pool chemicals in swimming pools to prevent it from being contaminated?

Water in nature isn't chlorinated.  In the desert, don't drink from a water pool that has no insects, because if nothing lives in it, it likely has arsenic in it.

[Blackleaf]

Texans won’t care, they ain’t afraid of nothing but tornadoes and gays.

Tornadoes? Maybe it depends on which part of Texas you live in, but we rarely get tornadoes in my area. Hurricanes are the bigger threat, although they seem to usually take a last minute turn in the gulf and hit Louisiana instead.

[Baruch]

Tornadoes? Maybe it depends on which part of Texas you live in, but we rarely get tornadoes in my area. Hurricanes are the bigger threat, although they seem to usually take a last minute turn in the gulf and hit Louisiana instead.

Cajun food is a hurricane favorite ;-)  N Texas gets plenty of tornadoes.

[aitm]

I spent 12 years in Texas one day, in the north panhandle. Lubbock. Saw at least one tornado 11 years in a row.

[SGOS]

The amoeba must surely be everyone's favorite protozoan.  If you asked an 8 year old what was the best thing about science, right after dinosaurs, he would probably say. "The amoeba."  Giant amoeba like creatures are the most loveable creation of science fiction, except mabye for Mr. Spock.  All my years of loving science, I never actually saw a live amoeba; Dead ones in slides only.  But they can get nasty too.  I believe giardia is caused by an amoeba, and for a while, hikers in the Rocky Mountains were cautioned about drinking water from fresh mountain lakes and streams because of giardia.  Sales of small filtration pumps for back packers went through the roof, and and outsold ponchos at REI and Dicks Sporting Goods.  I never knew anyone that got giardia.  I asked my doctor if he ever had to treat giardia.  I think he said he had a patient who might have had it once.  I think amoebas are known to cause some other sicknesses too.

Oops!  I just checked.  Giardia is caused by a flagellated microorganism, not an ameoba.

[Baruch]

How cilia of you, SGOS!  The only live pond creatures I gathered and looked at under a microscope (9th grade) was a planarian.  You can cut them in two, and the two halves regrow the missing half.  Now that is a survival mechanism!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

"Lone Star Law" should be fun this season.