The Art of Science: Brainy Amoeba

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What is an Amoeba?

Amoebas are microscopic organisms.

Many amoebas eat bacteria and other small organisms. They ingest food and nutrients by a process called endocytosis. Amoebas eat by stretching their plasma membrane around food particles and enclosing the material in a vesicle. They usually reside in warm water and in other aqueous environments.

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Amoeba are single-celled, animal-like protists. They are very large compared to other microscopic organisms. Some species are large enough to see with the naked eye. They are referred to as animal-like protists because they take in particles in order to obtain nutrients. There are also plant-like protists which obtain their energy from photosynthesis.

Amoebas reproduce asexually by a process called binary fission. When reproducing the amoeba divides itself into two new organisms.

Most amoebas are equipped with something called pseudopods. The pseudopods allow the amoeba to move around and capture food particles.

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According to a study of Northern Virginia ecology by the Island Creek Elementary School, “amoebas eat algae, bacteria, other protozoans, and tiny particles of dead plant or animal matter.”

Amoebas are an essential part of life. They provide a source of food for filter feeders and also control algae and bacteria populations. However, some of these creatures don’t just feast on small organisms.

Brain Eating

A few years ago there was an outbreak of an infection called PAM or primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in the southern United States. This infection is actually caused by a type of amoeba. The amoeba feeds on the cells in the brain, sucking the nutrients out of them.

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The culprit is Naegleria fowleri, a species of amoeba that lives in warm, fresh bodies of water. According to WebMD, they are found in warm lakes, ponds, muddy pools, warm shallow rivers and streams, poorly treated swimming pools, hot springs, and runoff waste water used for cooling in power plants.

N. fowleri thrives in heat. The creatures are most active in high temperature water, ranging up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature gets too low, or conditions become unfavorable in some other way, the amoeba will curl up into a cyst, a small mass with a hard protective layer, and only emerge when the environment is suitable.

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According to the Stanford University website, these creatures were officially discovered in 1965 by Dr. Fowler and Dr. Carter in Australia. Of course it came from Australia. Everything deadly lives in Australia.

It is believed that the first documented occurrence of PAM was in 1909. However, the condition is very rare. From 1962 to 2013 only 132 cases have been attributed to Naegleria fowleri. However, the mortality rate is over 98%.

In the past few years, several people died from amoeba infection. There was a 9 year old girl in Kansas who passed away after swimming in a lake near her home.

Symptoms of this amoeba’s presence in the body are caused by destruction of brain tissue.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms begin to appear about 5 days after an individual has been contaminated and include “headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting.” Following this the condition of the individual declines and he may experience “stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations.” After symptoms first reveal themselves the infected individual usually dies in around 5 days, meaning after infection a person has about 10 days to live.

How Amoeba get in the Brain

These amoeba rarely infect humans. However, several cases have been reported in the southern United States.

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Naegleria fowleri usually only get into the brain if water is forced into the nose. This can happen during water sports, such as water skiing and diving. However according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if water containing the amoeba is consumed, it will not enter the brain and you will be perfectly fine. The conditions have to be just right for the amoeba to cause PAM.

Prevention

If you’re really worried about getting a tiny protist up your nose, the simplest solution is to wear nose plugs while swimming or participating in water sports.