Tragic Death of Louisiana Girl from Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba

An eight-year-old girl in Louisiana, Lillian Smart, has sadly passed away after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri. This amoeba is typically found in warm freshwater environments.

Her family shared that Lillian succumbed to the infection over the weekend. Health experts refer to Naegleria fowleri as a brain-eating amoeba, which thrives in freshwater bodies across the U.S. It usually enters the body through the nose, leading to an infection that is almost always fatal. Annually, fewer than ten cases occur in the U.S.

“Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, expressed in an emotional Facebook post. “Her brain injuries were too severe for recovery despite everyone’s efforts to save her.”

The Louisiana Department of Health reported the state’s first confirmed case of Naegleria fowleri since 2013 last week. The department, keeping patient identities confidential, did not name Lillian, as emphasized by spokesperson Stacey Grow.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry expressed his sorrow on X, formerly known as Twitter, upon hearing of Lillian’s death. Health officials believe the infection likely occurred during her swim in Lake Claiborne, located in north Louisiana.

The infection can lead to primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a fatal disease where the amoeba migrates from the nose to the brain. Since the first recorded case in 1937, there have been roughly 180 confirmed infections nationwide, nearly all resulting in death. Person-to-person transmission does not occur.

Naegleria fowleri inhabits warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals, and ponds throughout the U.S. It becomes dangerous when water temperatures exceed 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) and predominantly appears during the summer in southern areas. Recently, a few cases have emerged in Maryland, Indiana, and Minnesota, according to scientists.

The Louisiana Department of Health clarified, “The amoeba is naturally occurring, and routine environmental testing for Naegleria fowleri does not exist.” Last year, a 12-year-old boy in South Carolina also died from exposure to the amoeba.

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Brook is a corps member of The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that stations journalists in local newsrooms to spotlight undercovered issues.