Brain-Eating Amoeba

katz4life

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Ooo goodie more nasty things that can take your life...


Hopefully no one else gets that brain eating amoeba!
 

cocoalily

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That's horrible! It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie!
 

gingersmom

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I am never, ever going swimming again.

I don't swim in pools because the chlorine kills my hair.

I don't swim in the ocean because A.) where I live it's too cold - NUMBING, in fact; B.) in warmer waters there are predators like sharks, scary things like sting-rays and stinging jellyfish, etc., not to mention the fact that the oceans are the world's toilet.


And now, I can no longer swim in fresh water because of killer amoebas.

Yeah...great...
 

frisk

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Oh my gosh!! That poor boy! That is soo scarey.

I just hate bugs... I have the creeps now.
 

duchess15

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We have had that same amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) at least 2-3 times in the past with the lastest being this past summer. It's NOT that common, but it is starting to become a problem and there is NO cure for it. I think we had one boy survive, but that's it. It is something you never want because from what I've heard, the sides effects are horrible and it destroys everthing in the process.
I don't swimming for many reasons, but this is the best reason out there.
 

fostermomm

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Im glad I stopped swimming awhile ago because I kept thinking about the fish poop! YUK! So Ari is never playing in water unless in a swimming pool or bathtub. That poor boy and his family though. Thats really sad!
 

cocoalily

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

I am never, ever going swimming again.

I don't swim in pools because the chlorine kills my hair.

I don't swim in the ocean because A.) where I live it's too cold - NUMBING, in fact; B.) in warmer waters there are predators like sharks, scary things like sting-rays and stinging jellyfish, etc., not to mention the fact that the oceans are the world's toilet.


And now, I can no longer swim in fresh water because of killer amoebas.

Yeah...great...
Looks like the only place left for you to go swimming is the bathtub!
 

gingersmom

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Originally Posted by Cocoalily

Looks like the only place left for you to go swimming is the bathtub!
Yup. Unfortunately, if I fill up my tub, it barely reaches my knees, so that's out, too!
 

goldenkitty45

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Well guess we won't be swimming in MN's 10,000 lakes!

I just wonder - if it attacks thru the nose, then would dogs wading in the shallow waters also be at risk for this?

Keno is a lab that doesn't like water, but now I'm concerned about taking her to the dog parks with the ponds the dogs run thru!
 

sharky

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LMAO>>>

Sorry I saw this 20 plus yrs ago on national geographic...It is not a new thing/// Plus medical investigations highlighted it ///
 

swampwitch

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Don't go swimming in the Amazon, either, or a candirú fish might swim up your urethra or vagina.

Whatever the truth may be, there's little doubt that the candirú, formally known as Vandellia cirrhosa, is capable of attacking humans in the manner described. A type of catfish, the candirú is known to lodge in the gill cavities of larger fish, where it subsists by sucking the blood of its host. Specimens average three inches in length and a quarter inch in diameter. A fast, powerful swimmer, the fish is smooth and slimy, with sharp teeth and backward-pointing spines on its gill covers that make it virtually impossible to remove. Still, it's difficult to imagine how even the most agile of fishes could squirm into someone's penis during a brief dip in the water, and in fact one account says women are much more likely to be candirú victims due to the greater dimensions of the female aperture.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000519.html
 

lunasmom

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Wa----it. If it says that nothing can kill it right now and its becoming a problem, whose to say that even our own city water filtration can stop it
 

Moz

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Is this like the new AIDS/Ebola virus or something? That's what it sounds like to me. I'm glad I don't swim.. I don't want my brain to be eaten by an amoeba.
 

duchess15

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Originally Posted by Moz

Is this like the new AIDS/Ebola virus or something? That's what it sounds like to me. I'm glad I don't swim.. I don't want my brain to be eaten by an amoeba.
No, it's nothing like that. When it does occur, it is very rare to begin with. It's been around for a long time, you just don't hear that much about it because the occurence is low.
 

amberthe bobcat

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Originally Posted by Frisk

Oh my gosh!! That poor boy! That is soo scarey.

I just hate bugs... I have the creeps now.
An Amoeba is neither a bug, insect or even a bacteria. They are all single (1) cell organisms. Most are to small to be seen with the naked eye, but some of the largest can be seen without a microscope. They move about like small little blobs feeding on decaying matter, bacteria and other living organisms smaller than itself.
Wa----it. If it says that nothing can kill it right now and its becoming a problem, whose to say that even our own city water filtration can stop it
Yes, they can be killed very easily. Chlorinating the water will destroy them, so your city water is safe. However, they have not found a drug that can destroy it when it enters the body. Most Amoebas are found at the bottom of warm lake or pond, on the top surface of the mud.
You can read more about Amoebas here. They are really interesting creatures, for being nothing more than a single celled blob

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/...01/amoeba.html
 
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