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Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:31 pm
by GrumpyOne
I'm not one to jump on any hysteria band wagon, nor do I wish to START one, but when I read the following news report, I was alarmed. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/w ... d=14328749
The third case, in Louisiana, was more unusual. It was a young man whose death in June was traced to the tap water he used in a device called a neti pot. It's a small teapot-shaped container used to rinse out the nose and sinuses with salt water to relieve allergies, colds and sinus trouble.
Health officials later found the amoeba in the home's water system. The problem was confined to the house; it wasn't found in city water samples, said Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's state epidemiologist. The young man, who was only identified as in his 20s and from southeast Louisiana, had not been swimming nor been in contact with surface water, Ratard added. He said only sterile, distilled, or boiled water should be used in neti pots.

A neti pot,... a humidified CPAP. Well, MY mind is made up. I've been using purified tap water, because who can afford bottled/distilled water, unless it's part of the prescription(?) but it's getting boiled now!

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:41 pm
by ameriken
My DME suggested distilled water for the humidifier, nor will I use tap or anything else because of the minerals in it. I think that is the reason for using distilled is because it should contain little or no minerals. I think there are a couple of threads on the subject of distilled vs other (tap, springwater, etc). Good idea to use it or boiled water for the neti pot, never thought about that.

As for the ameoba, 3 cases won't make me worry. Something to be aware of...but not worry about at this point.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:45 pm
by chunkyfrog
In Louisiana, I would only drink the beer.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:50 pm
by PST
chunkyfrog wrote:In Louisiana, I would only drink the beer.
I agree, although that's the rule I follow in the other 49 states too.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:52 pm
by BlackSpinner
You are supposed to use distilled water in the netti pots!

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:05 pm
by archangle
chunkyfrog wrote:In Louisiana, I would only drink the beer.
How about using beer in the neti pot?

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:10 pm
by GrumpyOne
Granted, and in drinking beer, you don't have to worry about contaminated ice cubes, too.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:11 pm
by GrumpyOne
Beer in you CPAP might help you sleep!

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:48 pm
by AmIawake
I prefer rum for my humidity problems.

I do use distilled water in the humidifier because we have very hard city water. But I do use the tap water for my sinus rinse. Keep in mind that the nasal and digestive pathways do cross. So if you're using distilled water for the sinus rinse while drinking amoeba water you still have a problem.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 7:06 pm
by archangle
There has been one recorded death from Naegleria in a neti pot user for all of time in the US. He was presumably drinking and showering in the same water supply, so maybe he would have got it without neti.

Roughly 32 people died from Naegleria in the US between 2001 and 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

30 of these were from outdoor watersports in lakes or streams.

Yes, it's a bad idea to do neti or Sinus Rinse with contaminated water. Distilled water is probably safer. I just don't think that Naeglaria is something to get too concerned about at the present time.

It's also a bad idea to shower in water with Naeglaria. Aerosol droplets are a really good way to spread water borne germs. Drinking it is probably bad, too.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:45 pm
by Paper_Nanny
archangle wrote:It's also a bad idea to shower in water with Naeglaria. Aerosol droplets are a really good way to spread water borne germs. Drinking it is probably bad, too.
I don't think drinking water with Naegleria fowleri in it a problem. The Naegleria fowleri migrate to the brain by way of the olfactory nerves, not through the digestive system.

http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/FreeLivingAmebic.htm

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:38 pm
by archangle
Paper_Nanny wrote:
archangle wrote:It's also a bad idea to shower in water with Naeglaria. Aerosol droplets are a really good way to spread water borne germs. Drinking it is probably bad, too.
I don't think drinking water with Naegleria fowleri in it a problem. The Naegleria fowleri migrate to the brain by way of the olfactory nerves, not through the digestive system.

http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/FreeLivingAmebic.htm
The nose is pretty closely connected to the mouth. It wouldn't surprise me Naegleria in your drinking water could get to the nose. If they're in your throat from drinking water, they could easily get into your nose when you exhale, cough, sneeze, etc. To say nothing of the occasional accident where you choke while drinking and get some water up your nose.

Nasty neti is probably more dangerous than nasty drinking water, though.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:23 pm
by Mr Bill
GrumpyOne wrote:Beer in you CPAP might help you sleep!
Great idea! The CO2 in the beer might reduce hypocaponea and reduce central events.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:42 pm
by GrumpyOne
archangle wrote:There has been one recorded death from Naegleria in a neti pot user for all of time in the US. He was presumably drinking and showering in the same water supply, so maybe he would have got it without neti. Roughly 32 people died from Naegleria in the US between 2001 and 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri
30 of these were from outdoor watersports in lakes or streams. Yes, it's a bad idea to do neti or Sinus Rinse with contaminated water. Distilled water is probably safer. I just don't think that Naeglaria is something to get too concerned about at the present time. It's also a bad idea to shower in water with Naeglaria. Aerosol droplets are a really good way to spread water borne germs. Drinking it is probably bad, too.
Sunlight causes skin cancer. Should we all just ignore sun block and floppy hats??
Dihydrous oxide: corrodes metal, causes brakes to fail, causes respratory distress, destroys wood, causes electrical shorts, destroys your homes foundation, causes damgage to roads
and excessive amouts causes root rot in crops. Why hasn't the government put controls and limits on this dangerous compound, H²O???

As I said when I first posted this, it was not my intention to start or add to any hysteria. When I read that news report, it was something I han't even considered. Heck, I didn't even KNOW about it, or find this group until I researched "amoeba" and "CPAP" on Google®. If only one person reads this and realizes there is more than one reason to use purified water in the machine, then I've accomplished something.

BTW, considering the stringent prification required in the brewing process, maybe beer IS better in your CPAP.

Re: Naegleria fowleri , aka Brain Eating Amoeba

Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 8:20 am
by Slartybartfast
GrumpyOne wrote:The problem was confined to the house; it wasn't found in city water samples, said Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's state epidemiologist.


It sounds like that house might have been on a shallow well that became contaminated by surface water. That shouldn't have happened if the house was connected to a municipal water system. Didn't we read recently someone got very sick/(died?) from bacterial contamination of well water that was used for bathing and a humidifier?