A young boy in Nevada has died from a brain-eating amoeba that officials believe contracted at Lake Mead, local officials reported.
The child, a Clark County resident whose name was not released, may have been exposed to Naegleria fowleri at the lake on the Arizona side in early October.
He showed signs of infection about a week after exposure, according to an investigation by the Southern Nevada Health District.
Officials didn’t release the youth’s exact age — he only said he was under 18 — name or where he lived in Clark County.
Infection with Naegleria fowleri is extremely rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 31 cases were reported in the US between 2012 and 2021. reports.
The majority of infections are diagnosed in young men, especially those under the age of 14.
They are also more common during the summer months as the amoeba thrives in warm freshwater environments such as hot springs and lakes.
The infection is also fatal in over 97 percent of cases. There were 143 infections in the US from 1962 to 2017. All but four were fatal.
The amoeba travels up the nose and into the brain. Early symptoms include severe headaches, stiffness, and nausea. But as the infection progresses, brain tissue begins to die, leading to confusion, seizures, and coma.
Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the brain-eating amoeba, typically lives in warm freshwater environments. The amoeba enters through the nose and travels to the brain, causing a severe central nervous system infection that is fatal 97 percent of the time.
The victim is believed to have been exposed to the amoeba while swimming on the Arizona side of Lake Mead in early October. Health officials say he started showing symptoms about a week later.
“My condolences go out to the family of this young man,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, district health officer of the health district.
dr Leguen added: “While I would like to reassure the public that this type of infection is extremely rare, I know that this is of no consolation to his family and friends at this time.”
Three cases of infection were reported in the summer. Thursday’s announcement marks the third fatality the US has suffered this year.
What is Naegleria fowleri?
Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba that, according to Dr. Anjan Debnath, a parasite disease expert at the University of California, San Diego, “literally eats the brain tissue.”
It thrives in freshwater in warm climates, including hot springs and lakes.
Improper water treatment in pools, private ponds, and even tap water can also lead to fatal exposure to the amoeba.
The amoeba travels up the nose where it has a direct route to the brain.
Once a person’s olfactory nerve is exposed in their nose, symptoms typically appear within one to nine days.
Those infected usually die within five days of the first onset of symptoms.
The symptoms in the early stages are similar to those of the flu.
Symptoms when the infection worsens include severe neurological problems such as seizures, hallucinations, confusion, and coma.
Although infection is not always fatal, the recovery process can be arduous. In July, Florida teenager Caleb Ziegelbauer contracted the infection.
Ziegelbauer, 13, is stable after about two months in the hospital after suffering a seizure and intubation and has been transferred to a rehabilitation facility in Chicago.
The amoeba causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and deadly infection of the central nervous system that causes inflammation and destruction of brain tissue.
Early symptoms resemble those of bacterial meningitis, an infection of the membranes lining the brain and spinal cord.
If left untreated, the infection has a mortality rate of up to 70 percent.
Infection with Naegleria fowleri can occur when fresh water containing the amoeba is pushed up the nose through activities such as jumping or diving into water.
Early symptoms of infection include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. But these symptoms can get worse very quickly.
In the later stages, an infected person may experience a stiff neck, confusion, lack of awareness of people and surroundings, seizures, hallucinations, and coma.
Even with antibiotic treatment, most people with this infection die within 10 days of symptom onset, although prompt diagnosis and treatment can increase the chance of survival.
The amoeba thrives in temperatures around 115 Fahrenheit, making it more common in states where hot weather is not uncommon, like Florida and Texas.
While the amoeba usually survives best in hot climates during the warmer months, experts say it’s not uncommon for infection to appear in the fall.
dr Brian Labus, an epidemiologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, told : “While the rest of the country has fall underway, early October in Las Vegas is still part of the warm season.”
“As a result, Naegleria infections here in the desert can appear much later and still be part of when they would normally be expected.
“There are also a number of year-round hot springs around the lake where Naegleria has been identified in the past, so cases can occur in the colder months as well.”
A majority of the infections have been reported in states with high temperatures.
Although infection is rare, several cases have been reported in recent years.
In August, a Nebraska boy died of the infection after exposing himself while swimming in the Elkhorn River, which traverses the Omaha area.
Before him, a Missouri man contracted the infection in early July after swimming in the Lake of Three Fires in southwest Iowa. He died about a week later.
The amoeba can also lurk in water that has been inadequately disinfected by chlorination.
A three-year-old boy died in Texas around this time last year after swimming at a water park that had not been properly sanitized.