North Carolina teen's death linked to community center water feature infected with brain-eating amoeba

State health officials in North Carolina have concluded that a 17-year-old who died on Aug. 31 from a rare brain infection was most likely exposed to the Naegleria fowleri amoeba in a water feature at El Futuro, a community-based mental-health center in Durham County. The center’s water feature, an interactive man-made creek with recirculating water, was closed on Aug. 28 after testing by the CDC confirmed the presence of the parasite.

Investigators interviewed the teen’s family and examined several possible exposure sites, including an apartment-complex pool and two ponds. The family later identified contact with the El Futuro water feature on Aug. 13, when the teen splashed water on his face. Environmental testing found algal growth, organic debris, and non-viable N. fowleri DNA in the fountain’s storage tank, supporting the conclusion that the feature was the most likely source.

"NC Department of Health and Human Services and Durham County Public Health informed El Futuro that testing identified the presence of Naegleria fowleri in a water feature at our green space," the center said in a statement.

The teen first sought emergency care on Aug. 21 for a severe headache that persisted for two days, was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 22, and received a confirmed diagnosis of Naegleria fowleri infection on Aug. 26. He died five days later despite treatment.

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic amoeba that thrives in warm freshwater and can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis when contaminated water enters the nose. The disease is extremely rare, with fewer than ten cases reported annually in the United States and a mortality rate exceeding 97 %.