FL Man Dies From Rare ‘Brain-Eating’ Amoeba After Sinus Rinse: Report

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FL — A Charlotte County man died from a rare “brain-eating” amoeba after rinsing his sinuses with tap water, ClickOrlando.com reported.

The man rinsed his nose daily with unboiled tap water.

The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County initially reported Feb. 23 that a resident had contracted naegleria fowler, which caused an infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

The agency warned that when making sinus rinse solutions, only distilled or sterile water or tap water boiled for at least one minute should be used.

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The DOH also said that people shouldn’t allow water to go up their nose or sniff water into their nose when bathing, showering, washing their face or swimming in small hard plastic/blow-up pools.

The single-celled organism Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm fresh water like lakes, rivers and hot springs, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. It’s often referred to as a “brain-eating amoeba” because it can cause a brain infection when water containing the amoeba goes up the nose.

Only three people each year are infected with Naegleria fowleri and most people die from it, the agency said.

Last summer, a Florida teenager was hospitalized with the “brain-eating” amoeba after a July 1 trip to Port Charlotte Beach.

The teen, Caleb Ziegelbauer, who was 13 at the time he fell ill, is recovering during treatment at a Chicago rehabilitation facility.