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| __NOTOC__
| | #Redirect [[Naegleria fowleri]] |
| {{Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis}}
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| {{CMG}}
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| ==Causes==
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| ''Naegleria fowleri'' is commonly referred to as an amoeba but is actually a unicellular parasite that is ubiquitous in soils and warm waters. Infection typically occurs during the summer months and patients typically have a history of exposure to a natural body of water. The organism specifically prefers temperatures above 32 °C, as might be found in a tropical climate{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} or in water heated by geothermal activity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.govt.nz/Environmental-information/Natural-hazards/Geothermal-activity/|title=Geothermal activity|accessdate=9 January 2008}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The organism is extremely sensitive to chlorine (<0.5 ppm). Exposure to the organism is extremely common due to its wide distribution in nature, but thus far lacks the ability to infect the body through any method other than direct contact with the olfactory nerve, which is exposed only at the extreme vertical terminus of the [[paranasal sinuses]]; the contaminated water must be deeply insufflated into the [[paranasal sinuses|sinus cavities]] for transmission to occur.
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| Michael Beach, a recreational waterborne illness specialist for the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]], stated in remarks to the Associated Press that the wearing of nose-clips to prevent insufflation of contaminated water would be an effective protection against contracting PAM, noting that "You'd have to have water going way up in your nose to begin with".<ref>''"6 die from brain-eating amoeba in lakes"'', Chris Kahn/Associated Press, 9/28/07</ref>
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist|2}}
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| [[Category:Needs overview]]
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| [[Category:Protozoal diseases]]
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| [[Category:Encephalitis]]
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| [[Category:Inflammations]]
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| [[Category:Meningitis]]
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| [[Category:Infectious disease]]
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| [[Category:Neurological Disease]]
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| [[Category:Disease]]
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| {{WH}}
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| {{WS}}
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