A 71-year-old woman in Texas tragically died after contracting a deadly brain infection, and health officials say it was caused by using contaminated tap water in a nasal rinse device.
According to Fox News, the woman had been staying at a local campground in Texas and used a nasal irrigation device, usually referred to as a neti pot, filled with unboiled tap water straight from her RV’s faucet. Within just four days, she began experiencing “severe neurologic symptoms,” including headaches, fever, and a drastically altered mental state.
📣 “Breaking news: Texas woman dies after using contaminated tap water in nasal rinse device, victim of brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri.” pic.twitter.com/EVz5bbulOv
— Xperienc(IA) (@CronicaAlterna) June 6, 2025
Doctors soon suspected she had contracted primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an extremely rare but almost always fatal brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, more commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later confirmed that her cerebrospinal fluid tested positive for the parasite.
“The risk of brain-eating amoeba is very low,” said Tammy Lundstrom, chief medical officer and infectious disease specialist for Trinity Health in Michigan. “Fewer than 10 people in the U.S. every year get infected — but unfortunately, most cases are fatal. There are only a handful of survivors of known cases.”
The CDC warns that symptoms of PAM usually appear within five days of exposure, though they can emerge as early as one day. These early signs include headaches, nausea, vomiting, and fever, symptoms that can easily be mistaken for bacterial meningitis.
“People usually start to feel ill one to 12 days after water exposure,” Lundstrom explained. “Early symptoms should prompt a medical evaluation, as they are also signs of bacterial meningitis.”
As the infection advances, patients may develop a stiff neck, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, and eventually fall into a coma. In most cases, death occurs within five days, although it can range from one to 18 days after symptoms begin.
In this case, the woman started having seizures and died eight days after the first symptoms appeared.
“This case reinforces the potential for serious health risks associated with improper use of nasal irrigation devices, as well as the importance of maintaining RV water quality and ensuring that municipal water systems adhere to regulatory standards,” the CDC stated.
Naegleria fowleri is also found in freshwater environments such as lakes and rivers, especially during the warmer summer months when conditions are ideal for the amoeba to thrive. It infects individuals when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, often during swimming, and then travels to the brain.
“Infection occurs when water harboring the amoeba goes up a person’s nose, usually during swimming,” Lundstrom noted. “It is not known why some people get infected and others, even swimming companions, do not.”
To reduce the risk of infection, the CDC recommends always using distilled, sterile, or boiled and cooled water for nasal irrigation. They also advise against immersing your head in warm freshwater during summer, as a general precaution.
Treatment for PAM usually involves antifungal medications like Miltefosine, alongside antibiotics such as azithromycin and rifampin. But Lundstrom admitted, “The effect of all of these drugs on actual infected people is unknown due to the high fatality rate.”
This tragic case serves as a sobering reminder of the hidden risks linked to something as simple as nasal rinsing, especially when the water source isn’t properly treated.
