I am dead serious about this... if you have a weak-stomache, LEAVE THIS TOPIC NOW.





I read an article about a bacteria that feeds on people's brains. Yes, you read correctly. I'm talking about a microscopic organism called Naegleria fowleri that attacks the body through the nasal cavity, quickly eating its way to the brain. We ALL know the vitality of the brain, so such an infection is VERY often fatal.


The arrow indicates the path of the bacteria.

Such attacks are extremely rare, though some health officials have put their communities on high alert, telling people to stay away from warm, standing water. These act as the best temperatures for the amoeba. This brings up concern connected to global warming. When water temperatures rise, we can expect more cases to come up. According to the CDC, Naegleria infected 23 people from 1995 to 2004.

This year health officials say they've noticed a spike in cases, with six Naegleria-related cases so far — all of them fatal.

Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria has been found almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even some swimming pools. Still, the CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s.

The amoeba typically live in lake bottoms, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment. Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a cannonball off a cliff — the amoeba can latch onto the person's olfactory nerve.

The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up to the brain.

People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes.

Once infected, most people have little chance of survival. Some drugs have been effective stopping the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive. In Phoenix, Arizona, it seemed like a headache, nothing more. But when pain killers and a trip to the emergency room didn't fix Aaron Evans, the 14-year-old asked his dad if he was going to die.

"No, no," David Evans remembers saying. "We didn't know. And here I am: I come home and I'm burying him."

The easiest way to prevent infection is to simply plug your nose when swimming or diving in fresh water. So start doing that, Topians, when you go for a swim anywhere. You never know where this Resident-Evil-era bacteria can strike, and it's only going to get more common with global warming.

To see the original article, click here.

Thanks for that tut... now I'm scared to go in my swimming pool T.T. Well anyways I have to admit that is a bit scary. A zombie like bacteria.. honestly something that should only belong in resident evil. Well thanks for the warning tut now I'm stayin away from teh rivas D".

now i'm only going to siwn on extreemly cold water o.0 meh but thank you for the heads up tut

Yeah, I was reading that, yesterday was it? Oh well.

Yeah man, I'm like: Terrified of swimming in lakes now. Haha.
To imagine the pain you'd randomly feel and to hallucinate? Wow.

It's lame, To kill bacteria you need to heat it up. This one loves heat and it's inside your head, the more heat it feels the faster it eats. How do you deal with that? :double:

scary. everything is so dangerous now. everything causes some sort of disease. too much sun, swimming in lakes, being bitten by a mosquito. little things that you'd never think could result in death.
ignorance truly is bliss.

i have a question, though. how is this a zombie bacteria? what connection does it have with zombies?

It feeds on brains. Read more carefully.