“The closure is a precautionary response to a confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection in a Missouri resident with recent potential exposure while swimming at the beach,” according to a health department release.
Naegleria fowleri is “a microscopic single-celled free-living amoeba that can cause a rare life-threatening infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM),” the agency said.
“PAM is extremely rare. Since 1962, only 154 known cases have been identified in the United States,” it said.
Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in soil and in fresh, warm water such as lakes, rivers and hot springs, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also be found in poorly maintained or unchlorinated pools.
Infections caused by Naegleria fowleri can occur when water containing the amoeba enters the body through a person’s nose, then travels to the brain, where it destroys brain tissue, the health department said. The infection is not contagious and cannot be caused by ingesting contaminated water.
The health department is working with the CDC to test the lake water and “confirm the presence of Naegleria fowleri,” which will take several days, the release said.
No additional suspected cases in Missouri or Iowa are currently under investigation, the agency said.
Although rare, PAM is “devastating” and “usually fatal,” according to the CDC. “Among the well-documented cases, there are only five known survivors in North America,” the CDC said. In September 2021, a child in North Texas died after contracting the rare brain-eating amoeba at a city splash pad. In 2020, a 6-year-old boy in Lake Jackson, Texas, died after being exposed to an amoeba that was found in the water of the splash fountain where he was playing. A 10-year-old Texas girl died in 2019 after battling an amoeba that had been eating away at her brain for more than a week.
Symptoms begin with a severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting before escalating to seizures, hallucinations and coma, according to the CDC.
It takes about five days after infection for the initial symptoms of primary amebic meningoencephalitis to appear, according to the CDC. The disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death between one and 18 days after the onset of symptoms.
To reduce the risk of infection, the health department advises swimmers to limit the amount of water that goes through their nose by holding their nose closed or using nose clips, keeping their head above water and avoiding being in the water when temperatures are very high .
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