*This web page was produced as an assignment for an undergraduate course at Davidson College.
Treatment
Amphotericin B is currently the most effective known pharmacologic treatment for N. fowleri, but the prognosis is still very bad since only eight patients have ever been known to have survived. Amphotericin B is injected and acts with ergosterl, a membrane chemical that is usually found on fungi, forming a pore that leads to potassium ion leakage and the death of N. fowleri. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions among hydroxyl, carboxyl and amino groups stabilize the channel in its open form, destroying activity and allowing the cytoplasmic contents to leak out (Goswick, 2000). Rifampicin can also be used with equal effectiveness (Vargas-Zepeda, 2005) . N. fowleri can be grown in several kinds of liquid axenic media or on non-nutrient agar plates coated with bacteria. There are no known future plans to improve treatment methods. Since this infection is extermely rare it is not in the interest of drug companies to use resource and spend time to find a treatment that caters to only a few victims.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/PublicSite/DrugsAZ/Images/thumbnails/image_33.jpg
If you have any question or suggestions regarding this site, please contact Alex Kim (alkim@davidson.edu)