CDC Confirms Amoeba Killed Florida Teen - FoxNews.comTwo days after a 16-year-old Florida girl died of an infection, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that the culprit was a deadly amoeba, which is commonly found in lakes and rivers.
Health officials in Brevard County said they believe water infected with the parasite, known as a Naegleria fowleri, went up Courtney Nashs nose while she was swimming in the St. Johns River in Mims, Fla., 44 miles east of Orlando, last week.
Once the amoeba enters the brain, it usually causes a fatal infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Initial signs of PAM include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of smell or taste and stiff neck. The disease spreads rapidly and usually results in death within three to seven days. It cannot be spread from person to person.