Missouri resident dies from brain-eating amoeba after water skiing in Lake of the Ozarks
Man dies after contracting brain-eating amoeba in tourist hotspot
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- A Missouri resident has died from a rare Naegleria fowleri infection, commonly known as a "brain-eating amoeba", after water skiing in the Lake of the Ozarks.
- The individual passed away on 19 August at a hospital in the St. Louis area, with preliminary information indicating exposure occurred shortly before falling ill.
- Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic amoeba typically found in warm freshwater, and infections are extremely rare in the US, with fewer than 10 cases reported annually.
- The amoeba enters the body through the nose, travelling to the brain, and infections are almost always fatal, though they cannot spread between people or by swallowing water.
- This incident follows other recent cases in the US, including the death of a child in South Carolina and a 71-year-old woman in Texas who contracted the amoeba from tap water.