A 71-year-old woman from Texas has died after contracting a rare and fatal brain infection caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba.” The infection occurred after she used unboiled tap water from a recreational vehicle (RV) for nasal irrigation 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, four days after using the nasal irrigation device. Despite receiving medical treatment, her condition deteriorated, leading to seizures, and she died eight days after symptom onset.
Laboratory testing confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri in the woman’s cerebrospinal fluid. The amoeba typically infects individuals when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, often during activities such as swimming in warm freshwater lakes or using contaminated tap water in nasal irrigation devices.
The CDC emphasized that while municipal tap water is generally safe to drink, it is not necessarily safe for nasal rinsing unless it has been properly treated. The agency recommends using only distilled, sterile, or previously boiled and cooled water for nasal irrigation to reduce the risk of infection.
Naegleria fowleri infections are exceedingly rare but almost always fatal. Between 1962 and 2022, 157 cases were confirmed in the United States, with Texas reporting 39 cases.
