Naegleria fowleri: How common is infection with the “brain eating amoeba”?

“Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba that is very common in fresh water in the state of South Carolina, and honestly the Southeast in general,” said Dr. Burch. “Any body of fresh water like a lake, river, pond or hot springs you come into contact with will have the amoeba in it.”

Dr. Burch noted that the amoeba is usually found in the silt in the bottom of lakes and rivers. As the amoeba likes very hot water, lowering water levels and the heat of summer increases the amount of amoeba. There’s also the simple fact that far more people are interacting with bodies of fresh water during summer vacation and the warm weather months than in the chillier winters.

“The interesting thing is that for most people who come into contact with this type of amoeba, it causes no harm whatsoever,” noted Dr. Burch. “Most of us have had exposure to the amoeba if we’ve been in a lake or a river.”

Naegleria fowleri does not cause infection if ingested through the mouth or through contact with your skin. Where infection occurs is if water forcefully goes up the nose and the amoeba is then able to move from there to the brain.

“What infection with the amoeba causes is a syndrome called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM),” said Dr. Burch. “Essentially, the amoeba infects the brain and makes the brain swell. It’s a very rare infection. As someone born and raised in South Carolina, and in my lifetime being a pediatric infectious disease physician here in South Carolina, I have seen two cases now of this disease.”

See what advice Dr. Burch would give parents concerned about this amoeba on how to prevent infection, how quickly symptoms progress and more by watching the rest of the video.