Naegleria fowleri causes an uncommon but deadly disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). There has been an increase of reported PAM cases, particularly since 2000. Although water is the dominant route of transmission of PAM, infection through soil/dust is a possible alternative route. We have observed differences in epidemiology between the southern states in the USA and the Indian subcontinent (ISC). The patient age range is greater in the ISC than in the USA, and there are more infections in the ISC which are not water-associated. We show that PAM is under-reported and argue that climate change will increase the incidence of PAM, and that the geographic range of N. fowleri will spread polewards.

中文翻译：

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禽流感菌是新兴寄生虫吗？

鸡瘟菌引起一种罕见但致命的疾病，称为原发性阿米巴脑膜脑炎（PAM）。报告的PAM病例有所增加，尤其是自2000年以来。尽管水是PAM传播的主要途径，但通过土壤/灰尘感染是一种可能的替代途径。我们已经观察到美国南部各州与印度次大陆（ISC）在流行病学上的差异。与美国相比，ISC的患者年龄范围更大，并且与水无关的感染也更多。我们证明了PAM的报道不足，并认为气候变化将增加PAM的发生率，而N. fowleri的地理范围将向极地扩散。