Brain under Parasitic Siege — A Comprehensive Descriptive Review of Neuroparasitic Diseases - Figure 5

Naegleria fowleri is a thermophilic free‑living amoeba found in warm fresh water. Trophozoites adhere to the olfactory epithelium and migrate along olfactory nerve fibres through the cribriform plate into the anterior cranial fossa, where they proliferate rapidly, releasing cytolytic enzymes that cause extensive neuronal necrosis (Figure 5), haemorrhage, and fulminant cerebral oedema (CDC, 2025).