In summer, we love to spend time by the water. Unfortunately, many dangers await us in natural water reservoirs. Including pathogens that can be a unique threat. Scientists warn that climate change is causing more and more carnivorous bacteria in water bodies.
- Scientists have the most concerns about the protozoan Naegleria fowleri with the bacterium Vibro vulnificus
- Pathogens have better and better living conditions due to global warming and rising water levels
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What are Naegleria fowleri and Vibro vulnificus?
– Climate change causes the water temperature to rise, which leads to a faster multiplication of bacteria. Scientists are most concerned about the protozoan Naegleria fowleri, which “eats” brain tissue, and the carnivorous bacterium Vibro vulnificus that feeds on the human body, said Dr. Sandra Gomf, an infectious disease specialist at a University in South Florida (USA), to ABS News. These pathogens move very fast and can kill just as quickly.
“Naegleria fowleri infection is very difficult to treat,” said Dr. Darien Sutton, GP in Los Angeles. When it gets into brain tissue, it causes a type of meningitis. When a patient begins to experience symptoms, it is usually too late to be saved. Protozoal infection can also lead to necrotizing fasciitis, an infection that causes the tissues surrounding wounds to die.
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Carnivorous bacteria and climate change
A warmer planet creates an environment in which pathogens thrive. And this increases the likelihood that we will come across these dangerous creatures. It’s not just about warmer temperatures, it’s also about how long they last, which allows pathogens to thrive. In addition, too high water levels and flooding are also dangerous, allowing pathogens to spread more quickly.
Naegleria fowleri infections in North America have been rare in the past. However, this may change, because in the past the waters did not reach temperatures so favorable to this protozoan.
Dr. Gompf’s 10-year-old son died in 2009 following contact with Naegleria fowleri in a lake in Polk County, Florida. The boy’s parents are doctors and knew the risks, but they still let the child into the water. They felt a false sense of security because the protozoan is very rare. Between 2010 and 2019, there were only 34 deaths from this protozoan.
Five days after contact with the protozoan, the doctor’s son began to experience a headache, he had no other symptoms of meningitis. Later, the boy could not bend his neck. In the hospital, inflammation in the spinal fluid was detected. The boy was diagnosed with brain death within three days of the first symptoms. The autopsy showed that the Naegleria fowleri infection was everywhere in the boy’s body, not just in the brain.
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