Naegleria fowleri, or the “brain-eating amoeba” is a parasite commonly found in warm freshwater (e.g. lakes, rivers, and hot springs) and of the 140 or so known cases in the US, 35 are from Florida alone.
Associate Professor of Infectious Disease and International Medicine at USF Health in Tampa, Sandra Gompf, MD, joined me on the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show to talk about N. fowleri and related free-living amoeba, Acanthamoeba species, and Balamuthia mandrillaris.
Not only is Dr. Gompf an infectious disease physician, her and her husband tragically lost their son Philip in 2009 to a devastating N. fowleri infection.
Show notes:
Lethal encounters: The evolving spectrum of amoebic meningoencephalitis
Jordan Smelski Foundation for Amoeba Awareness
The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, the first and only radio program dedicated to infectious disease and health news and information, airs every Sunday at 1 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on AM 1380 The Biz and online at http://1380thebiz.com/
KidsWatch™ Parental Control Software
Listen below:
Related podcasts:
Naegleria fowleri: An interview with Dr Jennifer Cope
Miltefosine and the 4th Naegleria fowleri survivor: Talking with Profounda CEO, Todd MacLaughlan
Naegleria fowleri drug research: An interview with Dennis Kyle, PhD
Balamuthia, neti pots and a unique case report
Balamuthia mandrillaris: Koral Reef’s story
Acanthamoeba case in Michigan with Shahzad Mian, M.D.
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