A person in Florida has died after being infected with a brain-eating amoeba that experts said he contracted through his nose, after he practiced washing his sinuses with tap water, a common habit practiced by many people.
In a statement received by Fox 4, a local news station in southwest Florida, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was told of the death, caused by the bacterium Naegleria fowleri – known as a brain-eating amoeba – on February 20.
The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County said Feb. 23 that it is investigating how the infection occurred and is working with local public facilities to make any necessary changes.
“The adult patient is said to have performed daily nasal rinses with unboiled tap water, which is believed to be the source of the infection,” the CDC statement said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said tap water in the area remains safe to drink because the amoeba – a single-celled organism – is rare and can only infect humans through the nose.
The agency told Fox 4 that this is the first case ever of someone contracting amoebiasis through tap water in Florida. It is also the first case reported in the United States this year, and the first in the winter.
“Most cases occur in the southern tier states during the summer, but evidence suggests that the geographic areas in which amebiasis infections occur in the United States are changing, possibly due to climate change,” the CDC said.
Health officials called on residents to use only distilled or sterile water when making sinus rinse solutions, and to seek immediate medical help if they experienced symptoms of a brain-eating amoeba such as: headache, fever, nausea, confusion, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures, loss of balance or hallucinations.
Such amobia infections are rare, with a total of 31 infections reported in the United States between 2012 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Infection can occur when amoeba-containing water enters the nose and travels to the brain. This can happen when swimming or diving in freshwater lakes or when tap water that contains freshwater enters the nose, such as when clearing the sinuses.
The infection cannot spread from person to person. Amebiasis also causes what is known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, an infection that destroys brain tissue, which is why it is called a “brain eater.” The first symptoms occur 1 to 12 days after infection and include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its infection is fatal in 97% of cases.
