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iCe · **Freshwater fishermen beware -** 10-01-2007, 06:14 PM

This is messed up.... from a fishing site that I visit-

Quote:

FYI for all fishermen in the Hill Country re Lake LBJ:

State: Amebic illness killed man

The Texas Department of State Health Services has confirmed that the Lubbock man who died after wake-boarding in Lake LBJ died of primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, the same rare illness that killed an Austin boy who swam in the lake this summer.

The department said Monday that it received the results of lab tests showing that Colby Sawyer, 22, of Lubbock died Sept. 4 of PAM.

It also killed John "Jack" Herrerra, 12, of Austin on Aug. 15.

Sawyer's case brings to 36 the number of Texas reports of PAM that have been confirmed since 1972. All have been fatal.

Lubbock officials announced Sept. 7 that Sawyer died from the infection, but the state said it would wait for results from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The organism lives in fresh water, including rivers, lakes and ponds, and prefers temperatures above 80 degrees and stagnant water. Swimmers are advised to wear nose plugs, especially when jumping in and diving to avoid any sudden rush of water up the nose.

and

Quote:

6 die from brain-eating amoeba in lakes
By CHRIS KAHN, Associated Press Writer

PHOENIX - It sounds like science fiction but it's true: A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die.

Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.

"This is definitely something we need to track," said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."

According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (nuh-GLEER-ee-uh FOWL'-erh-eye) killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials noticed a spike with six cases — three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s....

Story is continued at this LINK

Breezy · 10-01-2007, 08:29 PM

OMG I think we will be staying out of the water from now on.

JamesB · 10-01-2007, 10:31 PM

I will have to pass this on the the wife as she likes swimming in the states lakes

James

studiocygnet · 10-02-2007, 05:55 PM

There was just an article about this in my local paper, the Lake Travis View, since it covers the Highland Lakes including LBJ. I don't think fisherman would have much to worry about unless they are diving into the water they are fishing in. It seems that water forced up your nose into your sinuses is mainly what to worry about. So hold your nose when jumping in.

pippin · 10-02-2007, 11:21 PM

in Australia people were known to be affected from drinking from hoses (something I used to do often.

Pools if not properly maintained can also be a haven for them.

This issue comes up every summer back home. Always fun (not)

Coelus · 10-03-2007, 09:19 AM

Don't forget the flesh eating bacteria in the salt water!

iCe · 10-03-2007, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pippin

in Australia people were known to be affected from drinking from hoses (something I used to do often.

Pools if not properly maintained can also be a haven for them.

This issue comes up every summer back home. Always fun (not)

Wow... I have well water and I drink from a hose all the time in the summer. That sucks...

Saltwater bacteria are an issue when fresh water flow into the bays and estuaries is severely restricted (like when there is a drought) or some man-made process has screwed up the natural flow of water in and out of the areas. A guide that I use down in Port O'Conner theorizes that Seagull and other shorebird poo accumulates in the low water areas and with poor circulation becomes food for the "bugs". I have no idea if he is right or wrong.

Coelus · 10-04-2007, 07:04 AM

It may not just be from the shorebirds. I'd like to see a current (shore line current flow) study done that shows the outflow of sewage plants and storm drainage as it compares to cases of infection. I do know that the federal game wardens used to check some of the private lake around my area when heavy goose populations were migrating through for cholera. So the bird poo theory has good merit. It just seems strange to me that this bacteria didn't start showing up until ten of fifteen years ago.
I only know a couple people who have contaracted the bacteria and they were both older gentleman with weaker immune systems. Both cases were in the heat of the summer in Matagorda.