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USGS · 70251355

Naegleria fowleri detected in Grand Teton National Park hot springs

Elliott P. Barnhart·Stacy Kinsey·Peter R. Wright·Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge·Vince Hill·Amy Kahler·Mia Mattioli·Robert S. Cornman·Deborah D. Iwanowicz·Zachary Eddy·Sandra Halonen·Rebecca C. Mueller·Brent Peyton·Geoffrey Puzon
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Abstract

The free-living thermophilic amoeba Naegleria fowleri ( N. fowleri ) causes the highly fatal disease primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. The environmental conditions that are favorable to the growth and proliferation of N. fowleri are not well-defined, especially in northern regions of the United States. In this study, we used culture-based methods and multiple molecular approaches to detect and analyze N. fowleri and other Naegleria spp. in water, sediment, and biofilm samples from five hot spring sites in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, U.S.A. These results provide the first detections of N. fowleri in Grand Teton National Park and provide new insights into the distribution of pathogenic N. fowleri and other nonpathogenic Naegleria spp. in natural thermal water systems in northern latitudes.

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90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 43.62565907757332° to 44.09749050172226° latitude; -110.6676678993602° to -110.58046877034668° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Elliott P. Barnhart, Stacy Kinsey, Peter R. Wright, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Vince Hill, Amy Kahler, Mia Mattioli, Robert S. Cornman, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Zachary Eddy, Sandra Halonen, Rebecca C. Mueller, Brent Peyton, Geoffrey Puzon. 2024-01-09. Naegleria fowleri detected in Grand Teton National Park hot springs. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.3c00650

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