Brain-eating amoeba: Kerala and ICMR launch study to trace infection

Dileep V Kumar

Oct 28, 2025

Health

Health

The Kerala Health Department, in collaboration with the NIE, launched a detailed field study to identify the causes and transmission of amoebic meningoencephalitis.

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The condition is a rare but often fatal brain infection caused by the free-living organism Naegleria fowleri, better known as the “brain-eating amoeba”.

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The Health Department said the initiative marks an important step towards understanding why Kerala has seen a sudden rise in amoebic meningoencephalitis.

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The field study has begun in Kozhikode and will soon extend to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Malappuram districts.

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The research aims to trace environmental sources, identify water bodies contaminated with pathogenic amoebae, and develop preventive strategies.