Medics fighting to save life of man with encephalitis caused by rare amoeba

The condition of Israel’s second ever recorded case of Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba that causes encephalitis, has deteriorated, Beilinson Hospital announces.

The otherwise healthy 26-year-old man could have come into contact with the amoeba while swimming at Gai Beach in Tiberias. He was admitted to Sharon Hospital on Tuesday with symptoms of fever, headaches and vomiting. When his condition worsened, he was transferred to Beilinson.

“The hospital staff continues to fight for his life,” the spokesperson says.

According to the CDC, it is commonly called the “brain-eating amoeba” because it can cause a brain infection when water containing the amoeba goes up the nose.

The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, thrives in warm water. In most cases, nothing happens to those who swim in water sources where the amoeba is present. Health Ministry investigators conducted samples at the beach where he bathed and found no evidence of amoeba contamination.

The mortality rate from encephalitis due to this amoeba is very high. While infection is extremely rare, with only some 400 cases diagnosed worldwide, it is often fatal.

Symptoms often include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, and neurological symptoms such as confusion, seizures, and hallucinations. It requires immediate medical attention.

A 36-year-old man died of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis in August 2022, a brain infection caused by the same amoeba.