Charles University scientists cured 28% of mice infected with brain-eating amoeba using experimental therapy. The research was published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Naegleria fowleri – a microbe that lives in warm freshwater bodies around the world. When inhaled (usually while swimming), the amoeba can travel up the olfactory nerve and then enter the human brain. About 97% of those infected die within a few days of being infected. 16 people died after contracting amoeba while swimming in an indoor pool in the Czech Republic.
In a new study, scientists tested benzoxaboroles, a new class of organoboron drugs that show great potential in fighting infectious parasitic diseases, including sleeping sickness, in mice.
Treatment significantly improved survival up to 28%. No serious adverse effects were observed in animals. Scientists have already begun optimizing the drug for humans and believe they are a few steps away from discovering the first effective way to combat the predatory amoeba.