Three Human Brain Eating Diseases

This is part two of a multipart series on the World's most distressing diseases and parasitic infections. This article deals with three human brain eating and destroying diseases.

Naegleria fowleri - The Brain Eating Amoeba

This little amoeba has been around for a long time. Its recent appearance in the news is due to the abnormally high number of deaths from infection this year. Six young males have died of Naegleria in the Florida, Texas and Arizona areas. Only 23 people died from this organism in the previous 10 years, so this tripling of deaths has begun to receive a lot of press lately.

The probable reason for this increase is almost certainly increased ambient temperatures rise caused by global warming. What's worse is that as temperatures increase, so too may the number of cases per year of this deadly disease.

Naegleria lives in water and all cases have a water connection. Lakes are the home of many varieties of amoebas. These are single cell organisms that reproduce by cellular fission. They literally divide in half forming two individuals where there was only one to begin with. After a certain period of time, the pond, lake or river they are living in becomes extremely dangerous to anyone swimming it its waters.

They enter the human body via the nose which picks up moisture containing the organisms. They easily work their way to the brain via the thin barrier between the nose and the brain. Then they start to dine on brain tissue until there is not enough brain tissue left to support life.

It is never easy to treat brain infections since the body has a brain protective barrier which prevents most medications from treating the infection. In fact it is almost always fatal and the victim will succumb in two weeks from infection. The best protection a person has is to not swim in very warm waters that have not been decontaminated. Biologists can test water sources for the amoeba or its cysts. If the body of water is found to be contaminated, total destruction of all life in the water and its sediments will be necessary. Even then the cysts of this organism are so resistant to treatment, it is best never to swim in this lake again.

Rabies

This disease is caused by a virus that spreads through the bite or the saliva of an infected victim. If untreated there is 100% chance the victim will die. Only one person in history has survived rabies, but the survivor lost most of his brain to the disease. Therefore, prevention of death is only achieved by inoculating the victim prior to the onset of the disease.

Most cases of rabies in the United States are caused by various species of bats. Most other animals can contract rabies and spread it to humans. Dogs, cats, foxes, raccoons are among the prime vectors of this disease. However, since one of the symptoms of advanced rabies is insanity and violence, even humans can infect other humans.

Most Humane Societies and Animal Control organizations require that their workers be vaccinated prior to their first contact with animals on the job.

Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease

Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease is the human equivalent of Mad Cow Disease. It is in fact possible that the human variation is just a species jump of a disease contracted from eating contaminated beef or other meats.

The aftermath of the British Mad Cow epidemic was a corresponding increase in the human genetic variant. It could be years before an individual who has eaten contaminated beef, displays symptoms of Creutzfeldt.

At this point we have determined the cause of the disease to be a buildup of abnormal prions. Prions are mysterious proteins which cause sponge like microscopic holes in the brain. Eventually the brain becomes so degenerated that the victim cannot move, speak or think properly. Death follows since as of this date there is no cure for this disease.