A hidden danger is set to dampen the enjoyment of boating, swimming, and other aquatic sports in freshwater lakes and rivers during America’s summer months.
It is Naegleria fowleri—better known as a brain-eating amoeba—that lives within many of the nation’s waterways.
Hot summer temperatures and encounters with this organism tend to go hand in hand.
Historically, the amoeba has been found primarily in the southern United States, but research points to an expanding territory within the Midwest.
The good news: It’s pretty easy to avoid while swimming or enjoying other water activities.
On July 7, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported its first case of Naegleria fowleri in 35 years. Officials declined to release details on the adult male patient who contracted the amoeba while swimming at the Lake of Three Fires in Iowa….