A tragic event occurred in Columbia, South Carolina, in July 2025 when 12-year-old Jaysen Carr passed away following an infection with a rare organism called the brain-eating amoeba. He had been swimming in the well-known summertime location, Lake Murray. Jaysen experienced flu-like symptoms shortly after his swim, which quickly turned into a deadly brain infection. In South Carolina, this was the first instance of this kind since 2016.
The terrible story about Jaysen has raised awareness of an uncommon but fatal infection brought on by the brain eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri. Although it’s crucial to keep in mind that these illnesses are quite uncommon, it’s also critical to comprehend how they occur and how to prevent them.
The signs of a brain-eating amoeba infection, how it affects the human body, and preventative measures will all be covered in this article.
What Is the Brain-Eating Amoeba?
Brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is a microscopic single-celled amoeba. It inhabits warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, hot springs, and contaminated swimming pools. It thrives in high temperatures, particularly during the hot summer season.
Most individuals believe that this amoeba is toxic when ingested, but that is not the case. The actual danger begins when water containing the amoeba is inhaled into the body, typically when diving or swimming in warm freshwater.
How does the amoeba enter the body?
When someone dives, jumps, or splashes into warm freshwater, they can find water in their nose. If water has Naegleria fowleri in it, then the amoeba can attach to nasal tissues.
Once there, it migrates up through the olfactory nerve, which is the nerve between the nose and the brain. It travels through a very thin bone called the cribriform plate and into the brain, where it begins to destroy brain tissue. This is how the brain-eating amoeba infects humans, not by eating, but by invading through the nose and traveling into the nervous system.
What Occurs After Infection
Naegleria fowleri infection is referred to as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). It is quick and deadly in the majority of infections.
Symptoms are usually between 1 and 12 days from exposure, with a median of about 5 days. Initial symptoms resemble those of bacterial meningitis and can include:
- Severe headache
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stiff neck
As the infection progresses, there are more severe symptoms, such as:
- Disorientation
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
- Hallucinations
- Coma
When they begin, the illness progresses rapidly and usually leads to death in one to two weeks. That is why it’s extremely critical to seek medical assistance immediately if they appear after exposure to fresh water recently.
Why is that so risky?
The largest explanation as to why PAM is so lethal is that it’s extremely contagious — too contagious for the majority of treatments to keep up with. By the time symptoms show, the infection is usually already severe. Also, because this disease is so rare, it is usually diagnosed incorrectly or not at all until too late.
Since the 1960s, over 160 cases have been reported in the United States, but hardly any of them survived. This implies that less than 3% of them survived.
How is it discovered and treated?
Discovering whether a person has PAM is difficult because it appears similar to other types of meningitis. Physicians will typically examine the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a lumbar puncture to determine if there are amoebae. Physicians can also employ hi-tech imaging and laboratory tests.
Treatment should be initiated as quickly as possible. It most typically involves:
- Amphotericin B, a very powerful antifungal that is administered intravenously or intracranially injected
- Miltefosine is a newly developed drug that appears to be effective against the amoeba
- Also therapeutic drugs like rifampin, azithromycin, and fluconazole
- Therapeutic hypothermia, or body cooling to reduce brain swelling
Despite aggressive treatment, survival is rare since the infection is rapidly spreading and is extremely severe.
How do you avoid infections?
The silver lining is that brain-eating amoeba infection is extremely rare, and additional safety precautions can reduce the risk further.
Here are some safety tips to keep in mind:
- Don’t jump or swim into warm fresh water when it is warm, particularly if it is in shallow, level lakes or rivers
- If you are swimming, wear nose clips or close your nose to prevent water from going into your nostrils
- Do not bother the river or lake bottom sediment, where the amoeba concentration might be higher
- Do not rinse your nose with regular tap water or pure water, such as with a neti pot. Always rinse your nose with clean, distilled, or boiled water
- Utilize properly chlorinated pools since they are not healthy habitats for the amoeba
If you simply do these things, the possibility of a brain-eating amoeba infecting you or your loved ones is practically zero.
Last Ideas
Jaysen Carr’s history illustrates how life is so fragile. It also shows how important education and prevention are when it comes to rare but deadly dangers like the Naegleria fowleri. Understanding how brain-eating amoeba infects the body can warn us and lead us to take action before problems emerge. Infections are very rare, but they can be lethal when they do happen. Carefulness in freshwater bodies—especially in the hottest months—is life-saving. Be safe. Be aware. And honor the unseen dangers of nature at all times.