The woman contracted a fatal infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba and died eight days after developing symptoms.
A Texas woman died from an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba days after she cleaned her sinuses using tap water, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case report.
The woman, an otherwise healthy 71-year-old, developed “severe neurologic symptoms,” including fever, headache and an altered mental status, four days after she filled a nasal irrigation device with tap water from her RV’s water system at a Texas campsite, the CDC report said.
She was treated for primary amebic meningoencephalitis — a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, often referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba.” Despite treatment, the woman experienced seizures and died from the infection eight days after she developed symptoms, the agency said.
apparently she was using stale water thats been sitting around for quite some time, this breeds bacteria, and amoebas. amoebas love to eat bacteria so they are found where tons of bacteria are. this is the case for legionaries disease, the bacteria love to infest amoebas.
the other kind of amoeba that can similar symptoms that also resulted in a brain eating form, is balumuthia amoeba.
Legionnaires disease is actually an atypical bacteria that is commonly found in water and HVAC systems, separate from any kind of amoeba.