A Florida man died after being infected with a rare amoeba while practicing daily sinus rinsing with tap water, the CDC told Fox affiliate WFTX.
The Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County confirmed the case Feb. 23, and the man died Feb. 20, according to WFTX. The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, can be contracted only through water in the nose. Normally, it lives in warm bodies of water. The amoeba can cause an infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
This case is a first in many ways, the CDC told WFTX. It is the first reported case of Naegleria fowleri infection in the U.S. this year, the first ever reported in the winter months and the first in Florida of a person being infected via tap water. The CDC is working with the state Department of Health to investigate the case.