A Texas woman, aged 71, has succumbed to a rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri after using contaminated tap water in a nasal irrigation device. This tragic case, recently detailed in a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), highlights the potential risks associated with improper water use.
The woman, who had no known health issues prior to her infection, utilized tap water while camping, which health officials suspect is the source of her contamination. She was diagnosed with primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) and tragically passed away eight days after the onset of her symptoms.
“This is an infection that can happen to anyone,” remarked Dr. Stephanie Widmer, a medical toxicologist and emergency medicine physician based in New York. “You don’t necessarily have to have underlying medical conditions or other risk factors that make you vulnerable.”
While the report did not disclose personal details about the patient, it underscores the seriousness of PAM, which is both rare and often fatal. Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba typically found in warm freshwater environments like lakes and hot springs, although it is rarely present in treated water sources such as pools or tap water.
In most cases, PAM infections occur when individuals immerse their heads in contaminated water, allowing the amoeba to enter through the nasal passages. The CDC has clarified that swallowing contaminated water does not pose a risk of infection, and the amoeba is not transmissible between people.
PAM can manifest when contaminated water is used for nasal cleansing, as was the case with the Texas woman. Symptoms generally emerge five days following exposure but can appear anywhere from one to twelve days later. Initial symptoms often mimic those of bacterial meningitis, including headache, nausea, vomiting, and fever. As the infection progresses, it can lead to severe complications such as neck stiffness, seizures, hallucinations, altered mental states, and coma.
Dr. Widmer emphasized the challenges in diagnosing PAM due to its early symptoms, which can resemble more common illnesses like the flu. Unfortunately, PAM is nearly always fatal, claiming lives in 97% of reported instances, with an average onset of symptoms occurring five days post-exposure. While treatments can be effective if administered early, they have varying success rates and include a combination of antifungal medications and sometimes antibiotics.
According to CDC statistics, fewer than ten cases of PAM are reported annually in the United States. From 1962 to 2023, there have been 164 documented cases, with only four survivors. To mitigate the risk of PAM, Dr. Widmer recommends avoiding swimming in untreated freshwater and using sterilized or distilled water for nasal irrigation, noting that chlorinated pool water and ocean swimming are generally considered safe.