Free‑living amoebae pose health risk, study warns
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- Biocontaminant published a perspective describing free‑living amoebae as an overlooked public health risk.
- Longfei Shu says free‑living amoebae survive high temperatures, chlorine, and persist inside water distribution systems.
- Free‑living amoebae can harbor bacteria and viruses, shielding them from disinfectants and potentially facilitating antibiotic‑resistance spread.
- Climate change could enable heat‑loving amoebae to survive in new regions, expanding exposure risk.
- Naegleria fowleri can cause a rare, extremely deadly brain infection when contaminated water enters the nose during swimming.
Why it matters: Public health agencies must strengthen water monitoring as aging infrastructure lets amoebae persist, raising infection risk for swimmers and increasing pressure on treatment plants to upgrade disinfection protocols.
