The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published August 27, 2025

Man with brain infection dies

LAKE OF THE OZARKS - The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has confirmed that an adult Missouri resident with a laboratory-confirmed infection of Naegleria fowleri died last Tuesday August 19 in a St. Louis area hospital.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the patient,” a DHSS spokesman said.

Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic single-celled free-living ameba that can cause a rare deadly infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), also known as “brain-eating” infection.

Typically, fewer than 10 people a year in the United States get PAM. According to the CDC, nearly everyone who gets PAM dies from it.

While not confirmed, preliminary information implies the patient may have been water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks days prior to becoming ill.

No additional suspected cases of PAM are being investigated in Missouri.

The ameba is common and naturally present in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers and ponds; however, PAM is extremely rare. In very rare cases, Naegleria fowleri has been found in poorly maintained swimming pools, splash pads, and other recreational venues.

The ameba also has been found in tap water.

Between 1962 and 2024, there were 167 reported cases of PAM in the United States.

Recreational water users should assume that Naegleria fowleri is present in warm freshwater across the United States; however, infection remains very rare.

Although a rare occurrence, people become infected by Naegleria fowleri when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose from freshwater sources.

The Naegleria fowleri ameba then travels up the nose to the brain where it damages the brain tissue. This infection cannot be spread from one person to another and it cannot be contracted by swallowing contaminated water.

A few infections have occurred when people used tap water that contained Naegleria fowleri to rinse their sinuses or cleanse their nasal passages.

People can take actions to reduce the risk of infection by limiting the amount of water going up the nose.

These actions could include:

• Hold your nose shut, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when taking part in activities in bodies of warm freshwater, especially if you jump or dive into the water.
• Avoid putting your head under the water in hot springs and other untreated thermal waters.
• Avoid water-related activities in warm freshwater during periods of high-water temperature.
• Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment while taking part in water-related activities in shallow, warm freshwater areas. Naegleria fowleri amebas are more likely to live in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds and rivers.

Those who experience the following symptoms after swimming in any warm body of water should contact their health care provider immediately as the disease progresses rapidly:

• Severe headache.
• Fever.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Stiff neck.
• Seizures.
• Altered mental status.
• Hallucinations.

For more information about Naegleria fowleri, visit the CDC’s webpage at https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/about/index.html

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