Daily Archives: July 10, 2017

Coach's Corner

Swimming in Hot Water – Beware!

Leave a comment

It is summer time! We all love jumping in our lake that is behind our house! It might be alligator free; however, it might have a Brain – eating amoeba! Naeglera Fowleri is a Brain Eating amoeba located in the water! Amoebas are single-celled organisms. The so-called brain-eating amoeba is a species discovered in 1965. It’s formal name is Naegleria fowleri.

Naegleria loves very warm water. It can survive in water as hot as 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

These amoebas can be found in warm places around the globe. N. fowleri is found in:

  • Warm lakes, ponds, and rock pits
  • Mud puddles
  • Warm, slow-flowing rivers, especially those with low water levels
  • Untreated swimming pools and spas
  • Untreated well water or untreated municipal water
  • Hot springs and other geothermal water sources
  • Thermally polluted water, such as runoff from power plants
  • Aquariums
  • Soil, including indoor dust

Therefore, word of caution… don’t be jumping in any lake that is 85 + degrees!