海边游泳感染食脑虫（英闻独家摘选:）

海边游泳感染食脑虫（英闻独家摘选:）Fox 4 reached out to the Charlotte County spokesperson asking if the public water treatment facilities normally prevent the presence of this amoeba. Spokesperson Brian Gleason insisted the Department of Health was the only entity who could comment though health officials do not operate the county water system.Tap water is exactly what officials are now looking into.The CDC's response was con

Today tomorrow learn English naturally. 天天自然学英语

Florida Department of Health reports Nagleria fowleri amoeba infection

Is there a public health risk in Charlotte County's tap water? The question comes after Charlotte County health officials said a person was infected with a rare amoeba possibly when they rinsed their sinuses with tap water.

The infection was reported in a news release Thursday morning confirming a Florida case. Fox 4 contacted the CDC because they conduct tests that determine if someone has the amoeba Naegleria fowleri. It can only be contracted through the nose. Florida Department of Health reports Naegleria fowleri amoeba infection

The CDC's response was concerning. They say a Florida patient died on Feb. 20 and had rinsed their sinuses daily with unboiled tap water. However the agency wouldn't confirm where that person lived.

Eric Milbrandt director of the marine laboratory at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation told Fox 4 the disease caused by Naegleria fowleri is extremely rare. He said it can only affect people through the nose not by ingesting it.

“It’s found in hot springs it’s found in warm water lakes and it can also be found in hot water tanks and in some very rare cases in tap water " Milbrandt said.

Tap water is exactly what officials are now looking into.

Fox 4 reached out to the Charlotte County spokesperson asking if the public water treatment facilities normally prevent the presence of this amoeba. Spokesperson Brian Gleason insisted the Department of Health was the only entity who could comment though health officials do not operate the county water system.

Florida Department of Health reports Naegleria fowleri amoeba infection

When we contacted the Public Utilities Director John Elias he referred Fox 4 to another person in the department who is better equipped to answer this question. As of Thursday night we have not heard back.

“A proper municipal treatment plant would have filtration chlorination and testing " Milbrandt said. "So your drinking water should be fine.”

Going back to the Department of Health in Charlotte County we asked if the death reported by the CDC is the same person in their press release. We called them prior to an interview and the contact told us the patient was a man and was being treated for the amoeba. They added the person lived in two homes in Charlotte County.

When speaking with the health officer in person no answer was given.

"I'm not going to speak to any specific cases " said Joe Pepe health officer for Charlotte County.

When asked does the public not have the right to know if somebody died Pepe told us to send in our questions and walked away. The news release stated officials promised to work with local public utilities to identify potential links and make any necessary corrections.

"What we're working on right now is a good investigation so that we can identify a point source but we saw an opportunity to lean forward and being responsible and just kind of helping educate the community on this piece of it at the very least " Pepe said.

The health officer did say the department was being responsible by helping educate the community.

"But right now where we've come to is that we've recognized that it may be an opportunity for an alert going out to the community regarding water safety and sinus safety especially in reference to when a Naegleria case comes about " Pepe said.

Naegleria fowleri infections are usually associated with swimming in freshwater lakes and rivers but can be found in tap water.

The CDC says this is the first case ever in Florida where a person was infected through tap water.

注释：

amoeba： n

表示"变形虫"，means "naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary pseudopods for feeding and locomotion"，如： The amoeba is a tiny one-celled organism. 阿米巴是微小的单细胞生物。

sinus: n

表示"窦；静脉窦"，means "any of various air-filled cavities especially in the bones of the skull"，如：This normal variation in rhythm is known as sinus arrhythmia. 节律的这种正常变化称为窦性心律失常。

Naegleria: n

表示"纳氏虫属"，如： According to the CDC the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri killed 23 people in the United States from 1995 to 2004. CDC指出，从1995至2004年，被称为福氏耐格里阿米巴的原虫在美国造成23人死亡。

Naegleria fowleri: 表示“福(勒)氏耐格里阿米巴 福勒(氏)耐格里原虫”

chlorination: n

表示" 氯化；"，means "the addition or substitution of chlorine in organic compounds"，如：The practice of chlorination has become so widespread.氯化法在实践中已得到广泛应用。

中文简要说明：

外出活动满身汗，用自来水洗把脸顺便冲一下鼻子，稀松平常。然而美国一名男子日前离奇身亡，死因极可能与这种行为有关！卫生官员表示，此人天天用自来水冲洗鼻子，很可能因此感染罕见的「福氏耐格里原虫」，这种原虫入侵人体之后沿着鼻腔爬入脑部「食脑」，导致感染者丧命。

美国福斯电视网报导，美国疾病管制暨预防中心（CDC）上周四（2月23日）证实，佛州2月20日有一名感染「福氏耐格里原虫」（Naegleria fowleri）的成年男子死亡，据悉他生前天天使用未经煮沸的自来水冲洗鼻腔，这很可能就是感染途径。

CDC还表示，这是今年美国出现的第一起感染福氏耐格里原虫死亡个案，也是历来冬季月份通报首例。CDC并未言明此人住在佛州何处。不过，佛州西南部的夏洛特郡（Charlotte County）卫生当局上周四公告，辖内有一例感染福氏耐格里原虫的案例，然而夏洛特郡卫生官员不愿证实此例是否已经死亡。

《纽约邮报》向CDC询问此事，CDC仍未提供进一步信息，而是要求该报去问佛州卫生署。佛州卫生署说明，署方持续调查个案何以感染福氏耐格里原虫，「正与地方供水单位确认有无任何潜在关联、有无必要采取改正措施」。

佛州卫生署建议大众避免让生水进入鼻腔，即使洗脸、冲澡时也不例外，倘若必须冲洗鼻腔，只能用蒸馏水或灭菌水。美国CDC指出，福氏耐格里原虫是一种单细胞生物，生活在淡水环境，俗称「食脑阿米巴原虫」（brain-eating amoeb）。含有福氏耐格里原虫的水进入人体鼻腔后，原虫就可能沿着鼻腔入侵脑室，侵食脑组织。

1962年至2022年，全美合计157例感染福氏耐格里原虫，平均每年不到3例，相当少见，然而一旦感染往往致命。这157例之中，37例与佛州有关。

「萨尼贝尔蒂瓦保育基金会」（Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation）海洋实验室主任米尔布兰特（Eric Milbrandt）向福斯电视网表示，福氏耐格里原虫仅由鼻腔侵入人体，不会透过摄食感染，「温泉、湖泊都曾发现这种原虫，热水储水槽可能也有，在非常罕见的情况下会在自来水里发现」

留言微信公众号《自然学英语LearnNaturally》，可咨询更多!