A 71-year-old Texas woman has died from a rare and deadly brain infection caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the "brain-eating amoeba." The infection is believed to have resulted from her use of unboiled tap water from an RV's water system to rinse her sinuses while staying at a campground.
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the woman began experiencing severe neurological symptoms—including fever, headache, and altered mental status—within four days of using the tap water for nasal irrigation. Despite medical treatment, she developed seizures and died eight days after symptom onset. Laboratory testing confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri in her cerebrospinal fluid.
Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba typically found in warm freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. Infections occur when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain and cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease with a fatality rate of over 97%. From 1962 to 2022, 157 cases were confirmed in the U.S., with Texas reporting 39 cases.
Health officials noted that the woman had no recent exposure to natural bodies of water, suggesting the infection was contracted through the RV's water system. The exact source of contamination remains unclear, as the RV's water tank had been filled prior to her ownership, and no samples from the campsite or RV tested positive for the amoeba.
The CDC emphasizes the importance of using only distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water for nasal rinsing to prevent such infections. Tap water, even if safe for drinking, may contain low levels of organisms that can be harmful when introduced into the nasal passages.
This tragic case serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with improper nasal irrigation practices and underscores the need for public awareness regarding safe water use.
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