Naegleria fowleri is a free living, universally distributed amoeba, which is mostly found in natural, stagnant, warm water bodies such as ponds, lakes, etc. It is also reported to be present even in indoor water bodies, such as swimming pools within a temperature range of 40–45°C.
N. fowleri infects the central nervous system of human body by entering through the nose during swimming and outdoor baths in natural stagnant water bodies, leading to meningoencephalitis. It is a condition of inflammation of cerebral tissues and membranes of the brain and is mostly fatal in nature. Casualties due to N. fowleri infections are reported all across the globe including a few in India but only seven survivors in the entire world have been reported till 2015.
