Florida man dies after using tap water. He caught ‘brain-eating’ amoeba

A man in Florida has died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba from tap water, according to US health officials. The rare infection was likely contracted from tap water that the man used to rinse his nose, CDC officials told Fox News.

Naegleria fowleri or ‘brain-eating amoeba’ is a single-celled organism that lives in warm freshwater – it is typically found in ponds, lakes and hot springs. If inhaled up the nose, it can cause brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The infection is almost always fatal – according to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 4 out of 154 people in the United States have survived infection from 1962 to 2021. The CDC added that the case in Florida is the first case of the deadly infection in the US this year.

“The adult patient reportedly performed nasal rinsing daily with unboiled tap water, which is thought to be the source of the infection,” it said in a statement. The unnamed man lived in the Charlotte County of Florida. The county refused to answer questions from the media, instead putting out a statement: “Our water system tests and adheres to all rules and regulations from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA regarding safe drinking water. As for this incident, I refer you to the Florida Department of Health regarding any further information.” Primary amebic meningoencephalitis: a deadly infection Primary amebic meningoencephalitis or PAM is caused only if the pathogen enters through the nose and travels up to the brain along the olfactory nerve.

Drinking contaminated water does not lead to infection. Symptoms usually begin one to nine days after exposure and start with severe headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting. The infection progresses rapidly. In the second stage the infected person can experience hallucinations, stiff neck, seizures and can slip into a coma. There are no known effective treatments for PAM, although doctors use a combination of drugs thought to have some impact on Naegleria fowleri and to manage symptoms.