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New Jersey man died after contracting an amoeba called "brain-eater" Naegleria fowleri, according to reports.
Although we know exactly how Fabrizio Stabile, a 29-year-old man, had an amoeba, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating the BSR Cable Park Surf Resort at Waco, Texas, reported the Waco Tribune-Herald. September 28
Stabile had used the park's wave pool on vacation, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Once back home in New Jersey, Stabile complained of a severe headache on September 16, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to raise awareness N. fowleri. He then developed symptoms, including swelling of the brain and fever, and was pronounced brain dead on September 21st.
N. fowleri is an amoeba found in warm fresh water, according to the CDC. People can become infected if the water contaminated by the amoeba rises up the nose. From there, the amoeba can get to the brain, where it causes a serious inflammatory disease called amoeba primitive meningoencephalitis, or PAM. The infection destroys brain tissue, causing brain swelling and death, according to the CDC. [5 Key Facts About Brain-Eating Amoebas]
A person can not be infected by drinking contaminated water through N. fowleri, says the CDC.
N. fowleri infections are extremely rare: from 1962 to 2017, 143 cases were reported in the United States, according to the CDC. The infection is also extremely deadly, with a mortality rate exceeding 97%, says the CDC. Of the 143 cases reported, only four survived.
The CDC, along with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, is currently testing for amoeba in water samples from the surf center, said CDC spokeswoman Candice Burns. Hoffmann, at the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Originally published on Science live.
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