Naegleria is a parasite that usually infects swimmers in lakes and rivers.
September 26, 2020, 5:22 PM
• 5 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleAfter Texas authorities sent an urgent message about brain-eating amoeba found in a southeast county water's supply, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality lifted a "Do Not Use" water advisory for all areas except one, Lake Jackson.
On Friday, TCEQ posted on social media that it was informed of the potential of Naegleria fowleri in the Brazosport Water Authority's water supply.
In this screen grab from Google Maps, houses in Lake Jackson, Tx. are shown.
In this screen grab from Google Maps, houses in Lake Jackson, Tx. are shown.A "Do Not Use" water advisory was issued for Lake Jackson, Freeport, Angleton, Brazoria, Richwood, Oyster Creek, Clute, Rosenberg, Dow Chemical, TDCJ Clemens & TDCJ Wayne Scott, according to the commission's social media post.
"After extensive conversations with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as well as ensuring that Brazosport Water Authority has an adequate disinfectant residual, a determination has been made that there is no safety issue for BWA's distribution system," according to a statement from TCEQ on Saturday.
"Lake Jackson residents are still urged to follow the Do not Use Water Advisory until the water system has been adequately flushed and samples indicate that the water is safe to use. It is not known at this time how long this make take," the statement continued.
TCEQ advised residents who remain under the advisory not to drink or bathe in tap water, although flushing toilets is OK.
Naegleria folweri is a parasite that typically infects people swimming in lakes and rivers, travelling through the nose and into the brain, according to ABC News medical contributor, Dr. Laith Alexander.
"Naegleria likes fresh water -- lakes and ponds. Infection is even rarer than Vibrio, but the stakes are even higher," Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious disease at South Shore Health in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, told ABC News, told ABC News.
"It travels up the nose and through the cribriform plate – a little sieve separating the nasal cavity and the brain," Dr. Ellerin said. "When it reaches the brain, it causes Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, or PAM for short, with seizures, headaches, personality changes and confusion. Most people with PAM have died – and unfortunately two-thirds of the cases are in otherwise healthy children."
In this computer illustration, the amoeba Naegleria fowleri is shown. N. fowleri can cause meningoencephalitis, which is the inflammation of the brain and its membranes.
In this computer illustration, the amoeba Naegleria fowleri is shown. N. fowleri can cause meningoencephalitis, which is the inflammation of the brain and its membranes.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "In very rare instances, Naegleria infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources (such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or heated and contaminated tap water) enters the nose. You cannot get infected from swallowing water contaminated with Naegleria."
The Brazosport water system had seven violations from TCEQ in 2014 and 2015 related to monitoring, one violation in 2003 for a concentration of disinfectant, according to ABC News Houston affiliate KTRK. All violations were resolved and the water system has received several awards since from TCEQ for innovation, operations, compliance and more.
ABC News' medical contributor Dr. Laith Alexander and Lauren M. Botchan contributed to this report.
