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Naegleria fowleri: emerging therapies and translational challenges
Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui1, Sutherland K Maciver2, Naveed Ahmed Khan3,4
1Institute of Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering, Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Introduction:
Naegleria fowleri is a rare but fatal free-living ameba with > 97% mortality rate. Despite advances in clinical and scientific understanding, therapeutic options remain limited, and diagnosis is often delayed, presenting significant public health challenges.
Areas Covered:
We reviewed recent literature from the last decade, using Google Scholar and PubMed on N. fowleri treatment, emerging drug candidates, repurposed therapeutics, and innovative delivery strategies. Advancements in drug screening are highlighted, unveiling novel therapeutic targets and mechanisms of action. Additionally, the role of climate change and environmental factors in geographic expansion and increased incidence of infections is explored, posing a growing public health risk.
Expert Opinion:
Effective management of N. fowleri infections hinges on early detection and addressing research gaps, particularly in understanding transmission/disease mechanisms. Recent advances in therapeutics, diagnostics, and water treatment to reduce environmental contamination by N. fowleri show promise for lowering infection risk and improving outcomes for primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Collaboration among academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and water industries is essential, with research advancing treatments and vaccines, and water industries contributing by reducing environmental contamination/human exposure to N. fowleri. A combination of treatment strategies and stringent surveillance will be crucial to limit future outbreaks and improve patient prognosis.
Insights
Naegleria fowleri causes fatal primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Recent research explores new treatments and drug delivery, alongside climate change impacts, to combat this rare but deadly infection.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Naegleria fowleri is a free-living ameba responsible for primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare infection with a mortality rate exceeding 97%.
- Limited therapeutic options and delayed diagnosis pose significant public health challenges.
- Environmental factors, including climate change, are increasingly linked to the geographic expansion and incidence of N. fowleri infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent literature on Naegleria fowleri treatment, drug candidates, and delivery strategies.
- To highlight advancements in drug screening, therapeutic targets, and mechanisms of action.
- To explore the role of climate change and environmental factors in N. fowleri infection incidence and geographic spread.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature review was conducted using Google Scholar and PubMed.
- The review focused on research published within the last decade.
- Key areas of investigation included N. fowleri treatment, emerging drug candidates, repurposed therapeutics, and innovative delivery strategies.
Main Results:
- Advancements in drug screening have identified novel therapeutic targets and mechanisms of action against N. fowleri.
- Innovative drug delivery strategies are being explored to improve treatment efficacy.
- Climate change and environmental factors are recognized as significant contributors to the increasing risk and geographic expansion of N. fowleri infections.
Conclusions:
- Effective management of Naegleria fowleri infections requires early detection and addressing knowledge gaps in transmission and disease mechanisms.
- Recent progress in therapeutics, diagnostics, and water treatment offers promise for reducing infection risk and improving outcomes for PAM.
- Collaboration between academic, pharmaceutical, and water industry sectors is crucial for advancing treatments, vaccines, and reducing environmental contamination to mitigate future outbreaks.
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