Texas Teen Dies From 'Brain-Eating Amoeba' After Swimming

Houston, TX — A recent high school graduate has died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba, according to media reports.

Hudson Adams, 19, had taken ill last week after his lifeguard duties at Lake Maverick and Houston County Lake while experiencing disorientation and flu-like symptoms, ABC 7 reported. Now, funeral arrangements are planned for the young man this weekend after his death on Wednesday.

According to the news site, paramedics rushed Hudson to the hospital before he was flown to the Texas Medical Center for treatment. His death by brain-eating amoeba was confirmed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials via a cerebrospinal fluid sample.

Hudson was an avid baseball player, having played for his team throughout high school. His former teammates remembered his generous disposition in always trying to lift others' spirits, the news station reported.

"He was always happy," one friend told the station. "He was always trying to bring people up if they were down."

The circumstances behind the death are alarming, especially as people head to cool off in bodies of water with the arrival of summer. But the incidence of contracting amebic meningoencephalitis, the condition caused by the so-called "brain-eating amoeba" (its scientific name being Naegleria fowlleri) is exceedingly rare, a doctor told ABC 7.

"The good news is that it's a very rare infection," the physician told the news station. "There are only a handful of cases reported in the United States."

Still, this isn't the first such fatality in the Houston area. Last August, another teenager died in the same manner after having been in a lake at Sam Houston National Forest, Click2Houston reported. Michael Riley, Jr., 14, died after a brain-eating amoeba is believed to have entered through his nose.

According to WebMD, Naegleria — the informally named "brain-eating amoeba" — is fond of warm water and is able to survive in water as hot as 113 degrees Fahrenheit. The amoeba can't live in saltwater and is also unable to survive in properly treated swimming pools. Most cases of the disease occur in southern or southwestern states, with more than half of all infections occurring in Texas or Florida, WebMD reports.

Yet they are found in warm places throughout the world, most commonly in the following settings:

• Warm lakes, ponds and rock pits;
• Mud puddles;
• Warm, slow-flowing rivers, especially those with low water levels;
• Untreated swimming pools and spas;
• Untreated well water or untreated municipal water;
• Hot springs and other geothermal water sources;
• Thermally polluted water, such as runoff from power plants;
• Aquariums;
• Soil, including indoor dust.

Entry through a person's nose is the typical pathway for the amoeba, lending credence that its spread often comes from diving, water skiing or performing water sports — all activities enhancing the chances of water being forced through the nose, according to WebMD.

Doctors note a person infected with the amoeba cannot spread the infection to another person.

The website also describes how the amoeba gets its informal name. While accurate, the amoeba's brain-eating dynamics are accidental in contrast to the inferred preying nature of its activity.

"The term 'brain-eating amoeba' makes the amoeba sound like a tiny zombie stalking your skull," WebMD officials wrote. "But brains are accidental food for them. According to the CDC, N. fowleri normally eats bacteria. But when the amoeba gets into humans, it uses the brain as a food source."

So can brain-eating bacteria be avoided? And if so, what are best precautions to take?

"It makes sense to avoid swimming underwater, diving, water skiing, and jumping in warm, still waters during the late summer," WebMD authors noted. "It also makes sense to wear a nose clip when swimming, boating, or playing in or on warm waters."

They also suggest avoiding stirring up mud while partaking in the aforementioned activities. Also, if cleaning out one's nostrils, it's advisable to fill one's neti pot or squeeze bottle with distilled or sterile water as opposed to tap water.

"You can also use water that has been boiled for one minute (three minutes at high elevations) and then cooled," WebMD doctors advise. "And you can filter the water using filters with pores no larger than 1 micron (1 micrometer)."

In a bit of good news/bad news-style of medical presentation, doctors correctly note the rarity of infection. But once contracted, the resulting illness from the amoeba virtually always leads to death.

"The right treatment isn't clear," doctors write. "A number of drugs kill N. fowleri amoebas in the test tube. But even when treated with these drugs, very few patients survive."