--- title: "Brain-Eating Amoeba Is Spreading in United States, Scientists Say" description: "According to a new study by researchers from the CDC, \"brain-eating amoeba\" are slowly making their way northwards from the southern United States." date: "2020-12-17" modified: "2020-12-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/brain-eating-amoeba-spreading-united-states" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "amoeba" - "bacterial infection" - "cdc" - "Infection" --- # Brain-Eating Amoeba Is Spreading in United States, Scientists Say ![According to a new study by researchers from the CDC, "brain-eating amoeba" are slowly making their way northwards from the southern United States.]() *\Image: USCDCP\* According to a new study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), *Naegleria fowleri*, better known as the "brain-eating amoeba," is slowly making its way northwards from the southern United States — and we've got climate change to blame. The news isn't quite as gloomy as it sounds, [*Live Science* reports](). The actual number of yearly cases isn't increasing; it's just that they're occurring over a larger geographic range. The single-celled organism behind the infections is usually found in warm bodies of freshwater, including lakes and rivers. Once a person is infected — an exceedingly rare occurrence usually resulting from swimming or diving in infected waters — the amoeba travels from the nose into the brain. Once there, the organism can kick off a nasty brain condition called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). And yep, [according to the CDC](), PAM is "usually fatal." The good news: there have only been 34 infections reported in the US in the last ten years, [according to CDC data](). Since the amoeba prefers warm waters, up to what *Live Science* reports to be a hot-tub-like 113 degrees Fahrenheit, an upward shift in global temperatures caused by climate change is giving *N. fowleri* new opportunities to expand north over the last 40 years, according to [the CDC study]() published in the journal *Emerging Infectious Diseases* this week. The study, which examined CDC data from 1978 t0 2018, found that new cases moved northwards at about 8.2 miles per year. "It is possible that rising temperatures and consequent increases in recreational water use, such as swimming and water sports, could contribute to the changing epidemiology of PAM," the paper reads. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()