Naegleria fowleri symptoms typically start 1-9 days (median 5 days) after exposure, and can mirror bacterial meningitis, which can make diagnosis tricky. This is unfortunate, because the disease progresses rapidly – so rapidly, in fact, that diagnosis is usually made
after death.
Death occurs within 1 – 18 days (
median 5 days) after symptoms begin.
Individuals usually become infected while swimming in warm fresh water. The amoeba enters the nose and then travels to the brain, where it causes swelling and tissue death.
Signs and symptoms of infection include:
- Stage 1
- Severe frontal headache
- Fever
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Stage 2
- Stiff neck
- Seizures
- Altered mental status
- Hallucinations
- Coma