An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died from an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba found in warm freshwater, her family confirmed. Lillian Smart died over the weekend after being diagnosed with the infection, according to Kyle Roberts, a spokesperson for the family.
Health authorities describe Naegleria fowleri as an amoeba that thrives in warm freshwater bodies across the U.S. and can enter the nose, leading to an infection that is almost always fatal. The Louisiana Department of Health stated that the state had not confirmed a case of Naegleria fowleri since 2013. The department does not comment on individual cases.
“Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, wrote in a public Facebook post. “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from. Everyone did everything they could to keep her here.”
Officials believe Lillian likely contracted the infection while swimming in Lake Claiborne in north Louisiana. The amoeba can cause a fatal infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis when water carrying it travels up the nose and into the brain.
Between 1937 and 2025, there have been approximately 180 confirmed infections in the U.S., and these cases are nearly always fatal. The infection cannot be spread from person to person. Naegleria fowleri is naturally occurring, and there is no routine environmental testing for it in bodies of water.
The amoeba becomes dangerous in water that remains above 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) and has historically been found almost exclusively in the summer in the southern United States. However, recent cases have also been reported in states like Maryland, Indiana, and Minnesota.
Last year, a 12-year-old boy in South Carolina also died from an infection caused by the same amoeba. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry expressed his condolences on X, stating, “Heartbroken over the news of Lillian’s passing.”