Naegleria fowleri

E728806

free-living amoeba species of amoeboflagellate protist thermophilic organism

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living, thermophilic amoeba known for causing rare but often fatal brain infections in humans, commonly called "brain-eating amoeba" disease.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (1)

Label	Occurrences
Naegleria fowleri canonical	6

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T8357297 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Naegleria fowleri
Context triple: [Excavata, includesTaxon, Naegleria fowleri]

A. Dracunculus medinensis
Dracunculus medinensis is a parasitic nematode that causes Guinea worm disease, a debilitating infection historically transmitted through contaminated drinking water.
B. Borella
Borella is a prominent residential and commercial suburb within Colombo, Sri Lanka, known for its central location and diverse urban character.
C. Neesiella
Neesiella is a genus of fungi classified within the order Xenospadicoidales.
D. Ophiocordyceps
Ophiocordyceps is a genus of parasitic fungi best known for infecting and behaviorally manipulating insects, often called “zombie-ant” fungi.
E. Pyrodinium bahamense
Pyrodinium bahamense is a bioluminescent marine dinoflagellate known for producing the glowing waters seen in places like Mosquito Bay.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Naegleria fowleri
Target entity description: Naegleria fowleri is a free-living, thermophilic amoeba known for causing rare but often fatal brain infections in humans, commonly called "brain-eating amoeba" disease.

A. Dracunculus medinensis
Dracunculus medinensis is a parasitic nematode that causes Guinea worm disease, a debilitating infection historically transmitted through contaminated drinking water.
B. Borella
Borella is a prominent residential and commercial suburb within Colombo, Sri Lanka, known for its central location and diverse urban character.
C. Neesiella
Neesiella is a genus of fungi classified within the order Xenospadicoidales.
D. Ophiocordyceps
Ophiocordyceps is a genus of parasitic fungi best known for infecting and behaviorally manipulating insects, often called “zombie-ant” fungi.
E. Trichomonas
Trichomonas is a genus of flagellated protozoan parasites, best known for species that infect the urogenital and digestive tracts of humans and other animals.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (83)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	free-living amoeba ⓘ species of amoeboflagellate protist ⓘ thermophilic organism ⓘ
abbreviation	PAM ⓘ
biosafetyLevel	BSL-2 or higher in laboratory handling ⓘ
canSurviveTemperatureUpTo	46 °C ⓘ
caseFatalityRate	over 95 percent ⓘ
causes	primary amoebic meningoencephalitis ⓘ
cellType	unicellular ⓘ
class	Heterolobosea ⓘ linked to: Heteroloboseans
commonName	brain-eating amoeba ⓘ
diagnosisMethod	PCR testing of cerebrospinal fluid ⓘ microscopic examination of cerebrospinal fluid ⓘ
discoveredBy	Malcolm Fowler ⓘ
diseaseCourse	rapidly progressive ⓘ
diseaseDuration	usually 3 to 7 days after symptom onset ⓘ
diseaseOnset	acute ⓘ
domain	Eukaryota ⓘ linked to: Eukarya
earlySymptoms	fever ⓘ headache ⓘ nausea ⓘ vomiting ⓘ
family	Vahlkampfiidae ⓘ
feedingType	phagocytosis of bacteria ⓘ
genus	Naegleria ⓘ linked to: Naegleria gruberi
geographicDistribution	worldwide in suitable warm freshwater environments ⓘ
habitat	geothermal water ⓘ hot springs ⓘ lakes ⓘ poorly chlorinated swimming pools ⓘ rivers ⓘ soil ⓘ warm freshwater ⓘ water heaters ⓘ
incubationPeriod	1 to 9 days ⓘ
infectiveStage	trophozoite ⓘ
infects	humans ⓘ other mammals ⓘ
laterSymptoms	coma ⓘ confusion ⓘ seizures ⓘ stiff neck ⓘ
lifeCycleStage	cyst ⓘ flagellate ⓘ trophozoite ⓘ
mostCasesReportedIn	Australia ⓘ India ⓘ Pakistan ⓘ United States ⓘ linked to: United States of America
motilityType	amoeboid movement ⓘ flagellar movement ⓘ
namedAfter	Malcolm Fowler ⓘ
notTransmittedBy	drinking contaminated water ⓘ person-to-person contact ⓘ
optimalGrowthTemperature	42 °C ⓘ
order	Schizopyrenida ⓘ
oxygenRequirement	aerobic ⓘ
pathogenicMechanism	destruction of brain tissue ⓘ induction of inflammation in the central nervous system ⓘ
phylum	Percolozoa ⓘ linked to: Excavata
portalOfEntry	nasal cavity ⓘ olfactory neuroepithelium ⓘ
preventionMethod	avoiding warm freshwater entering the nose ⓘ proper chlorination of swimming pools ⓘ using nose clips in warm freshwater ⓘ
primaryInfectionSite	brain ⓘ central nervous system ⓘ
reproduction	asexual reproduction ⓘ
reproductionMode	binary fission ⓘ
riskFactor	swimming or diving in warm freshwater ⓘ use of untreated tap water for nasal irrigation ⓘ
riskGroup	children ⓘ young adults ⓘ
sensitiveTo	amphotericin B in vitro ⓘ
taxonRank	species ⓘ
temperaturePreference	thermophilic ⓘ
transmissionRoute	inhalation of contaminated water through the nose ⓘ
treatmentOption	amphotericin B ⓘ azithromycin ⓘ fluconazole ⓘ miltefosine ⓘ rifampin ⓘ linked to: rifampicin
yearDescribed	1965 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Excavata → includesTaxon → Naegleria fowleri ⓘ

Naegleria gruberi → isDistinctFrom → Naegleria fowleri ⓘ

Discoba → hasNotableMember → Naegleria fowleri ⓘ

Discoba → hasNotableMemberTaxon → Naegleria fowleri ⓘ

subject linked to: Discoba group

Heterolobosea → includesTaxon → Naegleria fowleri ⓘ

subject linked to: Heteroloboseans

Heterolobosea → pathogenicMember → Naegleria fowleri ⓘ