6-year-old dies after contracting a brain-eating amoeba in Texas water park

A 6-year-old was treated for it Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, died in a hospital in United StateOn Monday (27), the US authorities were informed.

This disease is rare, but it became known because it is caused by an amoeba, a single-celled organism, capable of “eating” human brain tissue.

microorganism Nigeria Follieri The boy’s body was found after playing in a public water park in the US state of Texas.

The parasitic amoeba is said to “eat brains”, but it mainly feeds on bacteria in the water.

What happens when it enters the human body is that because the amoeba does not find the nutrients it needs to live, it attacks the brain cells in search of these substances.

Health authorities drew attention to a system glitch testifying to the water quality in several state parks after an investigation was launched on September 5, when the boy was admitted to the hospital. He died six days later.

The presence of amoebas in fresh and warm water is common, but infection is rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 34 cases have been reported in the United States in the past decade.

People become infected when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose, usually when they go swimming or diving in lakes and rivers.