A Missouri resident being treated for a rare “brain-eating” amoeba infection died on Tuesday in a St. Louis area hospital, the state’s health department confirmed Wednesday. The patient was diagnosed with primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, and preliminary information suggests the person was exposed while water skiing at…
A Missouri resident being treated for a rare “brain-eating” amoeba infection died on Tuesday in a St. Louis area hospital, the state’s health department confirmed Wednesday. The patient was diagnosed with primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, and preliminary information suggests the person was exposed while water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks. While the amoeba is naturally present in warm freshwater, health officials stress that the deadly infection is extremely rare and occurs when contaminated water enters the body through the nose.