About 

• Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare, usually fatal infection of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) caused by Naegleria fowleri, a type of free-living ameba.
• As it can infect the brain and destroy the tissues there, this one-celled organism is also called ‘brain-eating amoeba’.

How does the disease occur?

• The amoeba thrives in warm freshwater like lakes, ponds, and rivers, and can also survive in poorly maintained swimming pools. Infection usually occurs when people swim in these water bodies during hot summers, especially when the water level is low. 
• The amoeba enters through the nose, travels to the brain, and causes brain tissue damage and swelling.

• The infection does not spread from person to person. 
• Children are more vulnerable.

Symptoms

• Early symptoms of PAM include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. 
• The disease quickly worsens, causing symptoms like a stiff neck, confusion, lack of focus, loss of balance, and hallucinations. 
• It often leads to coma and death within five days, with most people dying within one to 18 days.
• These infections, though rare, are fatal and 97% of the patients don’t survive. 

How is it diagnosed and treated?

• • PAM can be diagnosed through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

• PCR works by amplifying the DNA of amoeba if present in the sample.

• CSF is a clear, colorless liquid that surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord. 

• There are no standard treatment methods available to treat PAM. Miltefosine, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial drug, Azithromycin and Amphotericin B are some of the medicines currently being utilized to treat the infection.
• No vaccine is available for the prevention of PAM.