Neti Pots Infected Two Users with Brain-Eating Organisms

Neti pots, devices used for the treatment of conditions such as hay fever and the common cold, are believed to be responsible for the deaths of two people over the past few weeks. The users put tap water in the instruments, and got contaminated with a brain-eating microorganism.

These instruments work by forcing water up the nose, and into a person's sinuses, cleansing the later of impurities, and ameliorating symptoms related to the aforementioned conditions. However, producers always recommend users to put sterilized water in the instruments.

It is now believed that the two victims used tap water for the sinus-cleansing procedure. The water was infected with brain-eating amoebas of the species Naegleria fowleri. After being inserted into the sinuses, the microorganisms made their way into the brain.

When this happens, the lifeforms begins to eat up brain tissue at a frantic pace, destroying it indiscriminately. Death usually occurs within a few days after infection. Experts now believe that this is what happened to the two individuals

The condition N. fowleri is called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAME), and is extremely difficult to treat. Both recent cases were investigated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiologist Jonathan Yoder.

He and his team are currently trying to establish whether the two Louisiana residents that died on account of N fowleri infections actually used water from the tap, or took it from a pond or nearby lake.

The conclusion of that study will be the most important lesson everyone will learn from all of this. If the two indeed used water from the tap, than this would represent the first instances in more than 15 years where treated drinking water is found to be contaminated with these organisms.

“Nearly all the cases have resulted from exposure to warm recreational water, such as ponds, rivers and lakes, and the kind of exposure where the water would be forced up the nose — for example, diving and water sports,” Yoder explains, quoted by LiveScience.

He adds that current decontamination processes set in place throughout the country make sure that 99.9 percent of all microorganisms in the water are being destroyed before the liquid reaches the tap. However, the water cannot be made sterile.

“We consider chlorination to be effective in killing [N. fowleri]. I can't comment on any water system in Louisiana, but in general […] you may start out with 1 million amoebas and your goal is to reduce it with chlorine, and you might get 99.9 percent out,” Yoder concludes.