Pondering the Origin of the Brain-Eating Amoeba
For some reason, I found the subject matter of the so-called brain-eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) rather unsettling. The science behind it is interesting. Amoebas are single-celled organisms, and infections from these are usually fatal. Fortunately, they are rare. But where did they come from?
The "brain-eating" part of the name is wrong. The nasty things enter through the nasal cavity and infect the host's brain resulting in primary amebic meningoencephalitis. These amoebas are in contaminated warm fresh water or hot springs.
I found it interesting that drinking the water does not cause this particular disease. Take a look at this PDF from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Don't get on the prod about all amoebas, as many of them are beneficial and eat bacteria that we're disinclined to enjoy.
Evolutionists don't have a clue about their origin, so they fall back on their stock non-explanation of "it evolved" and call it science. Biblical creationists have to do both science and theology, because we believe that God created everything very good before the Fall of Man and things commenced to devolving. We reject the Aristotelian concept of the "fixity of species", which would indicate that God created harmful things that were not very good.
Both creationists and evolutionists seem to agree that this foul N. folweri amoeba is the result of a minor mutation that had devastating effects on those it invades. Like other critters, venom, and other traits that we might find abhorrent, creatures were designed to adapt. This was likely to have been "front-loaded" at creation and adaptations engaged after the Fall.
The content of this article is technical and people with a good knowledge of biology would get the most from it. However, the rest of us can also learn a few things.
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| Processing a sample for detection of N. fowleri Credit: USGS / Peter Wright, WY-MT Water Science Center (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) |
Evolutionists don't have a clue about their origin, so they fall back on their stock non-explanation of "it evolved" and call it science. Biblical creationists have to do both science and theology, because we believe that God created everything very good before the Fall of Man and things commenced to devolving. We reject the Aristotelian concept of the "fixity of species", which would indicate that God created harmful things that were not very good.
Both creationists and evolutionists seem to agree that this foul N. folweri amoeba is the result of a minor mutation that had devastating effects on those it invades. Like other critters, venom, and other traits that we might find abhorrent, creatures were designed to adapt. This was likely to have been "front-loaded" at creation and adaptations engaged after the Fall.
The content of this article is technical and people with a good knowledge of biology would get the most from it. However, the rest of us can also learn a few things.
There is strong indication that the pathogenic N. fowleri differentiated from the nonpathogenic Naegleria lovaniensis on the American continent, then migrated to Europe and the rest of the world. It appears there has been an overall loss of genetic information. . . . The genetic differences between a nonpathogen and pathogen are small: adhesion to host tissue and coding for stealth/entry from nose to the brain via the olfactory nerve seems to be only differences between the two closely related species. Pathogenic N. fowleri appears to have emerged from a prolonged heat spell and an adaptive mutation in recent times.To read the entire article, click on "The Genesis of the “Brain-Eating” Amoeba".
Rapid multiplication, diversification, and adaptation to prolonged changes to environments appear to be themes in the Creator’s plan for life after man’s fall into sin. Changes in these amoeboflagellates have occurred, but they are still amoebas.