Brain bacteria contracted while swimming in Lake Murray kills an Oklahoman

An Oklahoma man died Wednesday night after contracting a deadly brain eating amoeba while swimming. It is a free-living pathogenic protist that causes the disease primary amoebic meningoencephalitis also known as Naegleriasis. It is also possible to get it from dirty unchlorinated or under-chlorinated swimming pools.

Despite the rarity of infections, Naegleria is found in fresh water all over the world, says infectious disease specialist Amesh Adalja, MD, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – and it loves warm water. There is no evidence of N. fowleri living in salt water.

The disease-causing organisms are naturally present in most lakes, ponds and rivers but multiply rapidly in very warm and stagnant water. It does not form a cyst in human tissue. The flagellate form can exist in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Avoidance of warm bodies of water located in highly contaminated areas like near power plants and factories.

The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department confirmed the person was camping at the Ski Jump campground.

Last June, an adult woman has been reported to have died of same causes in the country and only last Monday, the Minnesota Health Department is suspecting a teen’s death to be from the same amoeba, Outbreak News Today reports.

Anyone can be exposed to the disease when diving or submerging your head into contaminated water.

Naegleria fowleri is commonly referred to as the, “brain-eating amoeba”. The Department of Health would not release the name or age of that person, but are warning residents to take precautions when swimming in natural bodies of water.

Immediate symptoms of PAM, which include headache, fever nausea or vomiting, usually occur about five days after infection, but that period can range from one to nine days. Later symptoms may include seizures, irrational behavior, hallucinations and finally coma and death. PAM can not be spread from person-to-person.