Avoid These Tiny Bits of Killer Fluff (If You Can)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2023
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When you hear the phrase “brain-eating amoebas,” is there a particular image that comes to mind? Whatever you envision, it's probably not what the notorious brain-eating amoeba that strikes fear in our hearts actually looks like.
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SOURCES:
www.bmj.com/content/2/5464/734.2
www.cdc.gov/meningitis/index....
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
emedicine.medscape.com/articl...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27381...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
academic.oup.com/cid/article/...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
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It seems a little strange that Naeglaria fowleri has been well studied, but you don't have any video or at least micrographs of them to show us.
P.S. "En-ta-me-ba hiss-toh-lee-kuh" -- you're omitting an entire syllable: "lyt" (pronounced "lit"). I am not a microbiologist and only the most casual student of Latin, but "Entamoeba histolytica: is pronounced "En-ta-me-ba hiss-toh-lih-tih-kuh" (the "ih" and "uh" standing for the short vowels "i" and "u", respectively).
@@Hipilolo There could be an "Entamoeba histolica [sic]", but that's not the name that was displayed in the video; of course, if you don't care about the information in the video, misnaming organisms probably doesn't mean anything to you.
Nope, this is NOT ok!! If you are going to do a video on something, AT LEAST GET A SAMPLE OF IT!! Shame on you!
The Southern California medical center I used to work at had a case of Naegleria fowleri in either the late '70s before I started working in the lab there. Luckily, the Lab Tech doing the spinal fluid cell count noticed amoeboid movement in some of the cells It was early in the disease process they were able to successfully diagnose and treat the boy, who survived.
The diagnostic problem is that the disease is extremely rare, so a viral cause for the meningitis is much, much more likely.
The only primary test for amoeba is to find it visually in the spinal fluid with a microscope and differentiate it from the white blood cells present. Not only is that difficult, but by the time you do, most often the amoeba has literally eaten it's way through too much brain tissue for it to be survivable. And Amphotericin B is a rather nasty drug; not something you'd want to toss around prophylactically if you don't specifically need it.
There is a cure!? Also, how do you change your behaviour to avoid getting this disease? Do they reside in the ocean?
@@miab-p6874 dont swim in still water, dirty pools, etc. Dont use tap water for nasal rinses.
I was thinking thinking thinking that I might have at least had a decent question if not an answer until I read that last sentence you shared. Why do little things have to be so cruel to some of us? It's enough we have to survive the big "Jeffrey Dahmers" of the world, as well as the social and politic circuses. Our only defense is what we can find through a microscope, and like you say, the drugs can be cruel enough so it's better to let them stay on the shelf until honestly needed. Maine said to say "Hello" while it still could! The more I live, the more I learn of the world's untold dangers.
@@miab-p6874 I think the ocean is safe
@@internetguy1260tap water are treated with chlorine in my country...so it's ok...
Hearing Hank again is like a cozy blanket around my brain.
😄👍
Yep, also helps keep the amoebae away
Poor choice of words considering the topic, lol
@@keef78💀💀💀
These amoeba typically live in warm water in muddy sediments. If you aren't deliberately stirring up sediments or submerging your head underwater excessively, you can reduce your risk significantly. Wearing noseplugs can also reduce your risk.
I was a commercial diver in south Florida for years. I was often spending all day in the most stagnant polluted bodies of water you can imagine. I only suffered an ear infection once though. My biggest danger was being buried alive in the holes I was dredging. A co-worker of mine actually dredged into a sink hole and made someone's whole back yard disappear. It was my turn to be on the boat and I pulled him out by the umbilical faster than anyone. Alligators and poisonous snakes were another problem but not too much. Whoever was on the boat would throw rocks to scare the alligator away but when an old alligator who didn't care sometimes came along we packed up, got out, and drove the boat around to scare it off.
How the hell do you even get a job like this lol?! 😅
The only poisonous breed we saw were water moccasins and we only saw one on two separate occasions. That's all the ones we saw though so who knows what was hiding. What we did was create shoreline erosion barriers; we would go under water in various places to dredge up material with a 6" hose that was attached to a pump on a boat. As soon as you stuck the hose in all visibility was gone. It was one of the weirder jobs I did. The others were working for a carnival and traveling and at a shipping port where our shift would last however long it took to unload or load the container ship which meant working three days amd two nights straight often. I made over $100,000 that year though. I'm a manager for a well known corporation, that stuff took place a long time ago. To answer how I got the diving job, a friend of mine at church worked there and got me the job. I already was a certified diver and it was company owned by some Dutch people from South Africa. I did not like them, South African people are quite arrogant.
@@dickJohnsonpeter Hey, I'm a "Dutch" guy from South Africa and also did some commercial diving. I would say that in general you're probably right about S.Africans being arrogant especially in the commercial diving industry. Lots of big egos there, but there are some good guys too. Anyway, not all South Africans are that bad 😉
@@dickJohnsonpetersnakes aren’t "poisonous." They’re venomous. Poison kills you when you ingest it. Venom kills you when it is injected into you. Two different things. Oleander leaves are poisonous; black widow spiders are venomous.
@chuharry5360this made me imagine something terrible, venomous mosquitoes. Or venomous snake mosquitoes. Sounds like a species idea for Spore.
I'm surprised the infection rate is so low in the US. In FL it seemed like once a year a classmate would end up in the hospital with meningitis for weeks and possibly never be seen again. People always claimed the victim got it while swimming. Now I wonder how many actually had a different type of meningitis.
I wonder how many "rare" deseases are actually just missed by shit doctors.
All forms of meningitis are deadly, doesnt matter about the root cause... if it isnt diagnosed super fast, you're screwed.
My cousin in around '99 was 19 studying at university, flatting in a student home. One day he came home from a party not feeling well, 2 days latter he was dead from viral meningitis... its a terrible illness (and even those who survive can end up with amputations from blood sepsis), and he probably got it from sharing a drink with someone. If a person suddenly gets a fever, headache, finds bright lights painful and has a red rash around their neck, or some other sudden large rash appear... get them the hell to a hospital asap... since the clock is ticking.
Florida is perfect for fungal meningitis
@@DoseofScienceDoS No doubt. I once had a nightmare that my nether regions had become a mushroom block bursting at the seams with large fruiting bodies. It was horrible harvesting them, and then I was embarrassed someone might wonder where they all came from so I cooked them and served them to guests and first nearly died of guilt, and then embarrassment when I stood and all noticed the huge portobello hanging out of my fly ringed with shitake and lions mane. Yes, have fun reading in every permutation of Freudian interpretation. I can half laugh but it still makes me dizzy and makes me wonder if I stumbled across the origin story of Florida Man.
I'm glad you pointed out the rarity with which people actually die this way. It's definitely got that horror factor that makes you want to change your behavior, even if the chances of you getting it is quite low. Hell, you're far more likely to drown in that same body of water. If only all the mundane things that are far more likely to kill you could elicit such a horrified reaction to get people to make changes to their behavior.
Well said 👏
You're far, far, far more likely to die by hitting your head after slipping in the shower than from brain eating amoeba.
Oh no. That brought back memories of my anxious childhood in South Australia. Drank from a warm hose, water up nose, was terrified I had amoebic meningitis.
thank you Hank for everything you do. And thank you James! and everyone else!
yes
Yes, thank you for giving us all such great nightmare fuel!!!
@@DoseofScienceDoS The nightmare fuel has always been there. They are giving us hope.
One thing I think was missed here, is that our immune system CAN defend against the amoeba, so if you inhale infected water, death is not a foregone conclusion. There is a really great Kurzgesagt video on the process of brain-eating amoeba infection that goes into more depth on the different stages. This video, however has pretty pictures and nice music
Except that only 5 percent actually survive..... So....
@@mellie4174 yea but that's only people who have been diagnosed with the infection, the number of people whose immune systems successfully defend against it before symptoms arise would be undocumented
@@mellie4174 That's of those who contract a full infection, which means its made its way past your nasal passage. They're found all over the place, including in your pools, so likely many more people have been technically 'infected' for whom the infection didn't get anywhere and so they didn't even notice.
@@mellie4174only 2% of people who are actually symptomatic and are diagnosed. If your immune system kills it early on you’re unlikely to ever know anything is really wrong.
@@TheJacobshapiro yes, so the 5% survival rate is just out of the people for whom the infection reaches the brain. Most infections get stopped by the immune system while in the nose, at least according to Kurzgesagt. That's the missing info here that could have helped this vid not be fuel for misplaced germaphobia.
I saw the case of the boy in Australia get covered on "monster's inside me" it was so scary how that poor kid got the ameba up his nose 👃🏻. Went right to his brain 🧠 and he passed away, all from a contaminated water source in a small rural town in the outback desert region of west Australia.
One of my top 5 irrational fears.
I live next to a river and it gets hot in the summer. I think about these guys sometimes.
If the water isn't getting above 26.6C / 80F, the risk is very low.
don't go swimming
I have been terrified of these things for so long lol
Was always taught to block my nose in dam swimming
Meningitis? 👀
Only to be bitten by an escaped Komodo Dragon and you rotted instead 😂
Hearing Hank was a surprise! I’m enjoying our guests but Hank will always be OG. Godspeed Hank, glad you’re putting your health first
These were the culprit in House season 2, the "Euphoria" double episode. They thought it was meningitis too!
Perfect voiceover dude, its refreshing to hear you speaking in a more nature documentary tone vs the “energized/engaging” typical youtube higher paced style.
❤thank you for all you do.
I was hoping for a more detailed description of what happens in the brain when they attack and what causes ppl to pass away
Kurzgesagt has what you are looking for
It's a Microscopy channel not a medical one dude
You don't want to know
The people who allegedly died of this microorganism had compromised immune systems because of something they ate or a medication that they were on. These organisms are literally everywhere and healthy people are constantly exposed to it.
As someone who just had surgery to fix a basilar skull fracture thru my left nostril, not 2 weeks ago this freaks me out lol
I’m so glad Hank is narrating again 💖
So good hearing your JTTMC voice. So calming. Thanks so much, Hank. For everything you do.
Hank!!!!!! It's just better with you. Everything is better with you. And John. He is doing great.
I do wish they went into more detail on why it invaded the sinuses (because it is both amazing, cool, and horrifying!). But it’s still great nonetheless
From everything I've read it seems to be opportunistic. Most cases are in people who dove or jumped into the water in a manner that sends water up the nose. Once there it sets up camp and gets busy.
@@dreyhawk it’s less opportunistic and more accidental. It feeds on bacteria that produce a chemical called acetylcholine. Unfortunately this is also the chemical messenger used in nerve cells! So when it enters the sinuses it can feed on the synapses of your nasal passage and brain! Plus as a bonus it is barely affected by the immune system due to its nearly macroscopic size!
@@DreadEnder True. By opportunistic I just meant it takes advantage of the surroundings it finds itself in as opposed to deliberately entering the nasal cavity of it's own accord.
@@dreyhawk yeah although the traditional meaning of opportunistic is that it will prey on anything it comes into contact with like an ambush hunter, whereas naeglaria preys on bacteria so is more of a ‘pursuit hunter’ and when it’s accidentally introduced to a new environment it has to find alternative food sources and basically switches it’s niche, so although it sounds like an opportunistic predator it fills a sort of sub-niche that puts it into a different (unnamed as far as I know) class. So although not wrong in saying it’s opportunistic, it’s not technically right.
The people who allegedly died of this microorganism had compromised immune systems because of something they ate or a medication that they were on. These organisms are literally everywhere and healthy people are regularly exposed to it without developing any serious conditions.
Sometimes I want to go swimming in the local creeks and river. But I live right by a city, so the waters have a _lot_ more stuff I don't want up in my mucous membranes than the extremely rare chance of brain-eating amoebas. So I harness the irrational fear to stop myself from taking a dip since road runoff, broken glass, random mystery garbage, industrial contaminants, and the microbiomes of far more likely things that could make me sick.
So just chlorinated pools and the ocean for me.
You mean the ocean full of poop and dead stuff?
I'm a Kiwi with family in Rotorua, so these little guys actually _are_ what I think of when the phrase "brain eating amoeba" comes up!
😂😂
Thank you, I guess, for this very distressing knowledge. I'm confident I'll never forget it... no matter how hard I try.
Glad you're over the first (worst?) part of your treatment, Hank! Hope Part Two is much easier, and that nasty C-word is kicked completely to the curb. ❤
Love this interesting video, too, LOL!
I had meningitis 12 years back. Although not sure what caused it but the thoughts of that severe headaches still get me chills down my spine. The slightest movement of even nodding head was unbearable
I had meningitis 3 years ago and then something similar last year and everytime I get a bad headache and sore neck I wonder if it's happening all over again.
Although for me the dodgy spinal tap might have been the worst bit of it.
I had it too. Viral. I was in the PICU for 3 days.
Same had it 7 months ago. Nearly died but didn't have any traditional symptoms like headache, just unbearable in pain shoulder area around 10 days before the attack occurred.
@@LevelUPStudi0 That’s insane, not even neck pain or stiffness and nausea?
@@LevelUPStudi0absolute tank of an immune system
Great to hear your voice again Hank.
Get well soon.
What's wrong with him?!
@@scyllastar7202cancer
New nightmare unlocked. Thanks.
The first year my wife and I moved to Houston, there were a rash of BEA infections around the lakes and ponds in East Texas. It was excpetionally warm and dry so people were looking to the natural bodies of water for some relief. But the water levels were low and somewhat more stagnant than usual, meaning people were kicking up silt and unleashing the microfauna in the mud. That's just one more reason for me to keep my ass on dry land.
Hank is a continuing source of comfort and childlike wonder
This is why I was told, as a child, not to put my head under the waters of Rotorua's hot springs.
Outstanding. Thank you, Hank! And many thanks to everyone who makes the Microcosmos possible. Bravo!
Get well soon Hank. Hope you’re doing as well as possible.
In case you missed it, be sure to stop by the channel's community tab to see the '50s-style horror-movie-poster art they made!
I was stationed in Western Australia in the late 1970s at a joint RAN/USN base. The meningitis cases that cropped up on base were traced to a swimming pool's water. All three cases were young kids who apparently jumped/cannonballed into the pool which drove water up into their sinuses. The source was traced very quickly and was neutralized. But it sure was a frightening time.
Another fantastic episode and you remain in our thoughts Hank and everything James does is always appreciated
Those previous symptoms sound like sinus headache symptoms. My hypochondriac mind will keep me up tonight.
In the 1980's as I recall, the educational message to Western Australian children was "don't *_jump_* into the pool", especially on hot days.
Such activity often drives water into the nostrils where the trouble starts, as described in this video.
I don’t know if I would call this video a success, when although I listened intently, I still don’t understand how or why it is deadly sometimes, and why it is usually, not.
Thank you Hank Green, truly one of the greatest orators of my generation, we love you man!~
Are microscopes strong enough to see individual proteins? Specifically a prion
Wonderful as ever and I learned something new, thank you all so much for your hard work!
amoeba: where the fu-
human: I AM *DYING*
amoeba: oh
amoeba: that didn't help me at all but uhh sorry to hear that
it would suck to get water up your nose and then later die because something ate your brain
This was the culprit on one of the greatest episodes of HOUSE MD ever made.
So I heard “amoebaflatulance” instead of amoeba flagellates. Damn funny.
Have you ever done a video on Lyme Spirochetes? They eat brains too in a much larger number (resembling a variety of problems from meningitis to dementia in its late untreated stage) But their morphology is interesting, they can change to ball cysts too but have a more conceited acces to organs using specific chemical signas that can get through organ barriers or change the immune system signals (they eat collagen so basically any organ, usually early stage is an immune reaction while they eat your joints so is an acute arthritis)
On the way to North Idaho leaving Washington there is a park dedicated to educating the public about the area having culturally suffered due to this amoeba, and I imagine lyme spirochetes is a player. Once ya got one, ya're more likely to get more. Thanks @jorgepeterbarton
Why can't we make it standard practice to ask patients with meningitis how recently they went swimming?
Because a it’s not practical when doing effective differential diagnosis. Diagnosing meningitis in time to treat effectively is not a simple matter, though it’s improved greatly.
People do the best they can in a clinical setting. A lot is going on.
@@mat9813004 this is not an answer to my question
Good to hear from you again Hank, I hope you are well. ❤
I cannot believe I watched this after swimming in the lake yesterday 🙃
You describe it in the singular, but when you describe actions, like releasing a compound, you’re actually talking about a whole bunch of them doing the same thing at the same time, right. Rather an infection than it merely having been infected, by a few, right?
Well that was rather depressing. Thank goodness it seems to be a rare occurrence. They could make a dystopian movie or show reminiscent of The Last Of Us about a mutated version of this Amoeba the wipes out most of humanity, if AI doesn’t get us first 😬
In a way, this video 100% validates people with germaphobia. Other than that, good video!
I know, right? I think they missed the mark a bit, as the real risks are so small but this vid does make me feel a little creeped out even still
Fuck yes Hank's back
Always awesome videos, and one of the only times i use the zoom on videos, it really brings it closer
Yo my meningitis Masters your videography is freaking Stellar these days not sure if he got a new camera or a new techniques or both but it's freaking awesome awesome
Besides all the interesting information you provide and the enchanting images in which I can stare for hours to discover and observe everything, I really like to watch your channel for the tranquil way you speak! Your video's are a kind of instant stress therapy for the overload mind..👍🙏🙂
I use a Neti pot regularly to control seasonal nasal congestion. Learning about Naegleria has made me very diligent about boiling the flush water.
I feel like you guys only told half the story here. As soon as it got to the all the factory bulb, the rest of the story was just glossed over. Anyways, I usually love your work. This one left a bit to be desired though.
I watch this channel for the knowledge and the wonder, but I listen to it for the peace of Hank's voice. Thank you, Hank, for the peace you add to my evenings.
Dang Hank, every time I find a cool science channel on TH-cam, i find you there. You are the G.O.A.T. my man! I appreciate everything you do!
I'll have to keep an eye out for em
I've always just pictured a brain eating Amoeba to look like the Amoeba I studied in Science class absorbing a Water Flea. I have Always loved Science and Always will!
Would strong horseradish kill these bastards? The stuff at the local steakhouse is potent enought to feel like a brillo pad on my brain...
In New Zealand it seems to be a thing found in thermal hot pools
Does it only take one amoeba to make its way to the olfactory bulb to kill a person?
Hank's back!
Wow! I live in South Australia and I had no idea the first cases were reported here. I always thought the brain noms amoeba were first identified around Florida.
Mmmm yes Hank make the brain feel good
Well now I think I'll skip lunch.
I think we should sign a treaty or something with amoebas. That's unaccaptable.
I will never pick my nose again. Or breathe through my nose. I will just be a mouth-breather.
Just wash your hands first (and after). Also need to do that to avoid TB (or spreading it to others)
@@spacecase0 there's enough natural flora bacteria in your nose to get into the little cuts in mucosa that happen with nose picking. Nose picking has been linked to dementia
@@elinope4745 I'm sure there's a smooth little morsel in there somewhere that they could enjoy but with my water-tight plan that won't happen.
Can you do videos showing what happens to samples when contaminated with different stuff? Like drop some lead shavings in it or something
The perfect pet for summer vacation.
They go where you go, they eat what you got.
Quiet, shy, little wigglers, just looking for that unused real estate.
What a great film this would make...
"The killer amoebas"! Thanks for the nightmares 🤣
But seriously, I love your videos..
Thanks
Grateful to see Naegleria fowleri.
hearing hanks voice in this show is so calming. welcome back :)
You've got a Lovely Talent of narrating! Love the funny yuckiness sounds 😛
My cat is a huge fan of your videos.
JttM is a blessing and a curse. My brain will never be the same - with or without invaders.
maybe more suited to scishow but, the cells inside our body which die, how do they leave the body, or do they?
For anyone getting worked up by this…a bit of info and reassurance
Don’t swim in freshwater that spends time consistently warm. Worse still if stagnant. The amoeba spends its days eating bacteria in silt. Don’t get rowdy or swim around in water where you could disturb the sediments and get that up your nose. It’s not too hard to avoid hot water where you can stir up the silt.
Something harder to account for is when water parks and other recreation places don’t adequately chlorinate, but statistically this is close to a meaninglessly small probability and is truly exceptional compared with the number of visitors per year.
But as others have pointed out, it’s likely that the vast (I mean VAST) majority of cases, the immune system kills the bug before anything happens. It’s something we would only ever note when this fails, which could potentially be a very rare occurrence and we don’t even realise it. I swam around in hot reservoirs and streams in the southern US for years as do literally millions of people every year so it’s obviously not a huge risk. Think of all the boys kicking water up each others’ noses in mucky streams. Just once in a very blue moon, that turns out to be a real mistake, but a very rare one indeed and not hard to avoid.
To keep your mind at peace, avoid the situations where you really know are the extreme conditions. A bit like don’t walk on the road on a Saturday night wearing black clothes.
Also, be wary of Neti pots with tap water, mainly if you don’t live in a city, again easy to do, as you can always boil and/or chlorinate your water if you really needed to.
What are the odds of such an amoeba making it into tap water?
Hi, could you suggest James to look for Teuthophrys, if it's possible? A bizarre protist genus with three-fold body plan and apparently eats rotifers.
Thank you for covering N. fowleri. Terrifying little things.
I'm confused. Is there a certain amount of water that has to be in your nose or does any amount screw you over?
You should put some naeglaria fowleri on a slide with some neurons so we can see exactly what it does
One more great video. Led me straight into paranoia.
I was wondering why you were making a video about asbestos, then I saw the description.
Asbestos fibers are small enough they'd still be thin fibers at this scale, too!
@@Lessinath Good point!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOŒÖOOOOOØOOOOOOO HANK HAS RETURNED
if the person dies, then so will the amoebas. but i guess they dont see this far.
In 2008 I had endocarditis doctors couldn't explain how I got it nore could they identify the bacteria that at my leaflets of my mitral valve I had less then a 20% chance of surviving and part of my heart is in my left kidney which has died due to the blockages of heart valve
Someone on the microcosmos staff mentioned this topic and Hank said "not without me, you're not" I'm confident he did the same thing with the Sci show video about poop eating
oh this video is going to do GREAT things to my ocd
I think about that lake I jumped into... and the stories of people being affected over a decade later...
That last part was trippy
When I read the title, i thought it was gonna be about asbestos.
Every time I see people online falling in a pond, I wonder if their brain is still intact.
@journeytomicro I know it might be nitpicking, but you should really get rid of the multiplication factor in the upper left corner. It's completely useless since you can't control for the size of the window that the viewer is watching your video in. You can only correctly use that type of indicator when you have control such as when you print a picture out and have it calibrated. Having the scale in the bottom right corner is the only size indicator you should have. On the final view with the amoebas swimming around it has a 50 micrometer scale and says 400X, when on my monitor in a normal window it measures out to about 1200X, not 400X. That gives people an unrealistic idea of how big an amoeba really is. It would be about 400X if you printed it out about 4 inches wide. That gives people an unrealistic idea of how big an amoeba really is.