Suspected Case of “Naegleria Fowleri in Mohave County Is Negative

Mohave County , AZ - Public health officials from Mohave County and the Arizona Department of Health Services worked together on a suspected case of “Naegleria Fowleri. “ Specimens were sent yesterday (Oct. 24) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing.
 
The case has now been determined by CDC to be negative.

The CDC says Naegleria fowleri is commonly known as the “brain-eating ameba.” It’s a free-living ameba (a single-celled living organism), so small that it can only be seen with a microscope. It is commonly found in warm fresh water (such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs) and soil. Only one species of Naegleria infects people: Naegleria fowleri.
 
Naegleria fowleri infections are rare. In the United States, between zero and five cases were diagnosed annually from 2013 to 2022. During this period, a total of 29 infections were reported in the United States.

Previously, there has been a confirmed case of Naegleria fowleri in Mohave county, where the case was exposed to Lake Havasu in 2007. A Nevada resident confirmed Naegleria fowleri case was also exposed to Kingman Wash, on the Arizona side of Lake Mead in 2022.

While infections from this free-living ameba are rare, ways to protect yourself include:

Hold your nose shut, use nose clips, or keep your head above water when in bodies of warm fresh water.

Avoid putting your head under water in hot springs and other untreated geothermal waters.

Avoid digging in, or stirring up, the sediment in shallow, warm fresh water. The amebae are more likely to live in sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers.