A 10-month-old baby experienced a high fever for three days, vomiting, lethargy and eventually fell into a deep coma. After admission to Children’s Hospital 1, doctors discovered a “brain-eating” amoeba in the baby’s cerebrospinal fluid sample. The baby experienced convulsions, required intubation and had no response to stimuli. Tests revealed acute ventricular dilatation and increased infection, leading to a multi-agent PCR test which identified the parasite Naegleria fowleri in the cerebrospinal fluid.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Phung Nguyen, brain-eating amoebiasis caused by Naegleria fowleri is rare with a high mortality rate of 95%. The patient is being treated with mechanical ventilation, external ventricular drainage, and antibiotics at Children’s Hospital 1. However, the baby’s condition remains critical and the cause of infection remains unknown.
Naegleria fowleri amoebas can survive in warm freshwater environments and enter the human brain through the nose. Initial symptoms may include headache, fever, and nausea which can progress rapidly to coma and death within days after symptom onset. Diagnosis is challenging and requires in-depth testing such as microscopic examination of cerebrospinal fluid and PCR testing for the amoeba’s DNA.
Preventative measures include avoiding dirty water sources and bathing in clean water to reduce the risk of infection from Naegleria fowleri amoebas that can survive in warm freshwater environments. Treatment focuses on reducing intracranial pressure, preventing brain damage, and using antibiotics according to medical literature recommendations.
