8-Year-Old Louisiana Girl Dies After Contracting Naegleria fowleri Linked to Lake Swim

An 8-year-old girl from northern Louisiana died on Saturday at a Ruston hospital after developing a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba often referred to as a "brain-eating" pathogen. Officials said the infection was most likely acquired while the child swam in Lake Claiborne shortly before falling ill.

The Louisiana Department of Health had earlier announced that a state resident had been hospitalized with the rare infection, but did not name the patient. The family confirmed on social media that their daughter had been in the pediatric intensive care unit and identified the amoeba as the cause.

"The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from," the family said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Naegleria fowleri causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare disease that occurs when contaminated water enters the nose and the organism travels to the brain. The CDC notes that about 97% of PAM cases are fatal, with symptoms typically appearing five days after exposure and progressing to severe neurological complications within one to two weeks.

Louisiana health records show three prior deaths from the amoeba since 2011, including two in 2011 linked to tap water use for sinus rinsing and a 2013 case involving a child on a slip-and-slide. The pathogen is not found in saltwater or properly chlorinated pools.

The CDC reported two PAM cases nationwide last year, and historically 91% of the 173 documented infections have occurred in July and August.