Brain-Eating Amoeba Strikes Junior Olympian

Houston teen Michael Riley is battling a rare and deadly brain-eating amoeba infection. (Photo: Facebook/Miracle 4 Michael)

Michael Riley, Jr., a 14-year-old star runner from Houston, Texas, has been hospitalized after coming into contact with naegleria fowleri, otherwise known as the “brain-eating amoeba.”

The teen’s family believes the infection resulted from a lake trip with track teammates on August 13, according to Houston’s ABC13. Michael is currently being treated at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Loved ones have set up a Facebook page for spiritual support, in addition to a GoFundMe page for monetary help.

Only a few people have ever survived these infections, according to infectious disease specialist Amar Safdar, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center.

The amoeba is commonly found in freshwater, Safdar tells Yahoo Health. “It can be a small lake, a pond, along the coast, water at an amusement park — anywhere water can be stagnant for a time,” he says.

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Safdar says the infection generally results after diving into one of these small bodies of water. “The pressure from the dive forces water high into the nose, close to the brain,” he explains. “The infection occurs when the amoeba sticks and starts going through that tissue.”

Once they gain access to the brain, the amoebas begin feeding on the cells there. This generally mounts an inflammatory response in the infected person, causing the brain to swell and intracranial pressure to rise. “In this way, the effect is twofold, since you have both the damage from the amoeba itself and the inflammation,” Safdar explains.

The initial symptoms are similar to that of bacterial meningitis. “It usually starts as a bad headache, and sensitivity to bright light,” Safdar says. “Afterward, there might be a stiff neck and confusion.”

With the onset of brain-tissue inflammation, known as encephalitis, changes in personality and cognition tend to begin. This might include confusion, the inability to wake someone up from sleep, or in severe cases, coma.

There’s not a lot known about what treatments may work to fight the amoeba. Some have proven effective in a lab setting in killing the parasite, but Safdar says the treatments can also be toxic to the person receiving treatment.

However, there’s been recent progress with a new multi-faceted approach, according to Kristen Nordlund, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Recently, two people with naegleria infections survived after being treated with a new drug called miltefosine,” she tells Yahoo Health. The drug was given along with other medications and treatments to reduce brain swelling, such as body cooling.

A 12-year-old from Arkansas, Kali Hardig, survived the infection in 2013 after receiving the anti-parasitic drug miltefosine. Michael may be receiving similar treatment in Texas, sources told ABC News.

Nordlund says that brain-eating amoeba infections are very rare, but occur most commonly in southern states during the hottest months — generally, July, August and September. “Infections usually occur when it has been hot for prolonged periods of time, which results in higher water temperatures and lower water levels,” she explains. These conditions are prime for the parasite to accumulate in lakes and ponds.

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The only way to completely avoid naegleria fowleri is to keep from swimming in warm, still waters. Otherwise, Nordlund says to utilize these tips to reduce your risk of infection:

• Hold your nose shut, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when taking part in water-related activities in bodies of warm freshwater.
  

• Avoid putting your head under the water in hot springs and other untreated thermal waters.
  

• Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas.
  

For his part, Safdar says he cannot emphasize enough how important it is to avoid diving into free water, especially smaller lakes and ponds. “Diving is a serious risk factor, which forces the water deep into the nose,” he says. “We’ve all probably dove into water at least once or twice, and know that tense headache that occurs between the eyes from the pressure. Those dives really increase the risk.”

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