A mistake some people make when rinsing their nose with water

He Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) US published a case report in its journal of infectious diseases warning the public about poor performance rinsing the nose with tap water. Although serum or special parapharmaceuticals can be used, many people prefer to use water. In principle this is not a bad idea. However, if it is not sterilized properly, it can become infected with dangerous pathogens such as Brain-eating amoeba.

This is the colloquial name by which the amoeba is known. Naegleria fowleri. Fortunately, cases of infection with this pathogen are rare. For example, only in the USA 29 cases from 2013 to 2022. In fact, since its discovery in the 1960s, only 300 cases have been described worldwide. The extremely negative point is that the mortality rate is 97%. There are very few people who have had the infection and lived to tell the tale. Moreover, some of them remained with neurological consequences.

On the other hand, amoebas of the genus Acanthamoeba Yes, they are more common. Much more often they experience infections from rinsing their nose with tap water. In any case, for both them and the brain-eating amoeba, the solution is to sterilize your tap water before using it.

The danger of brain-eating amoeba

There is no risk in drinking water that contains the brain-eating amoeba. He is unable to withstand the effects stomach acids, so he will die soon. On the other hand, if ingested through the nose, the risk is much greater. As soon as this happens, it penetrates the olfactory nerve, through which it enters the olfactory bulb and settles in the brain, from where it is gradually fed. All this leads to a disease known as amoebic meningoencephalitiswhich is extremely deadly.

Most infections of this type occur in open water, such as people who swam in a river or lake and got water up their nose. It is less common with tap water and in swimming pools, since this amoeba does not resist chlorine very well. However, there have been cases in pools that did not have enough chlorine added, or from nasal rinses with poorly disinfected tap water, or from pipes that received dirty water.

Acanthamoeba It’s much more common

The Case for Gender Acanthamoeba This is completely different. Infections caused by these amoebas are very dangerous. most common. It can be found in household water tanks, swimming pools and, of course, open water. It is also not chlorine resistant. However, cysts can escape the effects of this disinfectant.

Amoebas go through two phases. A vegetative, which divides by mitosis, and another of cystwhich remains without division when environmental conditions are not conducive to this, but can return to the previous phase when they change.

Although the infectious phase is a vegetative phase, cysts Acanthamoeba They can also penetrate the human body. Once there, they find themselves in conditions conducive to infection. Cysts can resist chlorine, which is why it is important to sterilize the water before rinsing your nose.

infections caused Acanthamoeba They very often affect the eyes of people who do not follow proper eye hygiene. contact lenses. However, it can also enter the nervous system through the nose or spread to other organs, such as the lungs, sinuses, or skin. In the latter case, it can actually cause very painful ulcers.

When it reaches the nervous system, something known as Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) subacute or chronic. The most common symptoms are changes in mental status, changes in behavior, seizures, headache, difficulty speaking and walking, fever, neck stiffness, vision changes, anorexia, nausea and vomiting. Moreover, in extreme cases it can lead to coma and death. This occurs especially in immunocompromised patients. All those described in the CDC report are like this. Therefore, they should be more careful when rinsing their nose.

Sterilize the water before rinsing your nose.

CDC recommends nasal rinsing boiled, sterile or filtered water. Without a doubt, it is best to use serum left in sterile containers. Tap water should be boiled properly, but ensuring that potential pathogens are killed is much more difficult.

When in doubt, it is always best to consult our doctor or pharmacist. The chances of contracting an amoebic infection are low. Especially in the case of a brain-eating amoeba. But, as they say, prevention is always better than cure.