A teenager from Ohio died from a rare, brain-eating amoeba after a rafting trip in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On Sunday, June 19, 18-year-old Lauren Seitz died of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), said Mitzi Kline, Franklin County Public Health's director of communication. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the brain-eating amoeba's presence in Seitz's cerebral spinal fluid.
The rare and fatal brain infection is caused by the amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri (N. fowleri), which is also called the "brain-eating amoeba." The organism is typically found in soil and warm freshwater such as lakes, hot springs and rivers, and it can also grow in pipes and water systems, according to the CDC.
People cannot get infected by the brain-eating amoeba from drinking contaminated water. However, the one-celled organism can enter the body through the nose. Once in, it travels to the brain and causes the infection, which is usually fatal.
Based on a statement from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the teenager's "only known underwater exposure" was during a rafting trip at the U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) in Charlotte on June 8.
During the rafting trip, Seitz's raft overturned, causing her to fall into the water along with several others who belonged in her church's youth music group. The fall could have sent the amoeba-contaminated water up her nose. The other church members who were in the raft with Seitz have not reported any illness.
The USNWC said in a statement that the facility gets its water from the two wells located on its property and from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Department. The USNWC also mentioned that it disinfects all of its water using chlorine and ultraviolet radiation.
"The levels of UV radiation disinfection utilized every day, continuously, at the Center are sufficient to 'inactivate' the water-born amoeba in question to an effective level of 99.99 percent," said the USNWC.
Upon learning of the incident, the USNWC said it increased the chlorine in its system. According to Dr. Marcus Plescia, the director of the Mecklenburg County Health Department, the Center is "as safe as any body of water."
"Any time you go into a lake or pond, there are things in the water that can cause illnesses," said Plescia.
The CDC and the USNWC are conducting an investigation in relation to the incident with the help of county and state health officials. The CDC states that people, especially those who engage in recreational water activities, should be aware and exercise caution in warmer locations where N. fowleri has been found to be more common. The federal agency advises that people prevent freshwater from going up their noses.
During its initial stages, the infection's symptoms are similar to that of a bacterial meningitis, and can start between one to seven days after getting infected. These include fever, headache, vomiting and nausea.
As PAM progresses, symptoms can include confusion, loss of balance, stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations and lack of attention to surroundings and people. The infection's progress is rapid and can lead to death between one to 12 days after the symptoms start.
Anyone who experiences PAM symptoms related to the amoeba infection should seek medical care as soon as possible.
