Federal health authorities have associated neti pots and similar nasal irrigation devices with yet another potentially hazardous amoeba.
The CDC’s study centered on ten patients infected between 1994 and 2022, with nine cases occurring in the past decade. Most of these patients had been regularly nasal rinsing for months or years. According to the CDC, three of the patients died. Notably, the agency highlighted that the survival rate among the patients is surprisingly high compared to the usual fatality rate for Acanthamoeba infection.
Researchers pointed out that although nasal rinsing might have contributed to the infections, it was not conclusively established as the transmission route for any case. Previously, health officials linked deaths caused by a brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, to nasal rinsing. The CDC recommends that healthcare providers educate their patients about properly using nasal rinsing and the dangers linked to acanthamoeba infections.
Nevertheless, the CDC recommends boiling tap water for at least one minute before usage. According to the FDA’s website, tap water is unsuitable for nasal rinsing due to inadequate filtration and treatment. Moreover, certain tap water may contain organisms such as bacteria and protozoa, including amoebas. While harmless if swallowed, these organisms can persist in nasal passages, causing severe and potentially deadly infections.
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