An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died from an infection believed to be caused by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that can lead to a rare and fatal brain infection. Lillian Smart contracted the organism while swimming in Lake Claiborne, according to health officials and her family.
Lillian died Saturday, one day after celebrating her eighth birthday, her family announced on social media. "The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from," the family stated. "Everyone did everything they could to keep her here. We are heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next."
The Louisiana Department of Health had announced Wednesday that a state resident was hospitalized with an infection from Naegleria fowleri. While the department did not identify the patient, Lillian's family confirmed she was the individual and that the infection was linked to her swimming in the lake.
Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as a brain-eating amoeba, causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an infection that develops when contaminated water enters the nose and the amoeba travels to the brain. Infection cannot occur by swallowing the water, and the amoeba is not found in saltwater or properly chlorinated swimming pools.
Symptoms of PAM typically begin with headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, and can progress to a stiff neck, seizures, and coma. The disease can be fatal within one to two weeks of infection. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 97% of people who develop PAM die from the infection.
Historically, Louisiana has reported three deaths associated with Naegleria fowleri since 2011. Two occurred in 2011, involving a 20-year-old man who used tap water to rinse his sinuses and a 51-year-old woman who used tap water similarly. In 2013, a 4-year-old boy contracted the amoeba after playing on a slip-and-slide, and subsequent CDC testing detected the amoeba in that parish's water system.
Nationwide, the CDC reported two PAM cases in the previous year. Out of approximately 173 documented infections over the last 90 years, nearly 91% have occurred in July and August. Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel has warned beachgoers about the presence of Vibrio vulnificus, a different deadly bacteria found in warm salt waters, noting increased cases in Florida and deaths in Louisiana.