The CDC detected unusually high levels of brain-eating amoeba at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., where a teen died after becoming infected with the amoeba in June, according to CNN.
Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba responsible for a deadly infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, is commonly found in warm fresh water. Infection occurs only when the amoeba enters the body through the nose — an infection cannot occur from ingesting drinking water. All 11 samples taken from the North Carolina waterpark tested positive for the pathogen.
"Our findings here are significant. We saw multiple positive samples at levels we've not previously seen in environmental samples," Jennifer Cope, MD, an infectious disease physician with the CDC, told CNN.
The Charlotte Whitewater Center is one of three such parks in the U.S. that are unregulated and do not test regularly for pathogens. This is because the park's waterway is viewed as more like a river, even though it is made of concrete channels that recirculate water from the municipal system, wells and rain. The Governor of North Carolina recently called for increased regulatory oversight at the center.
"There will be challenging conversations ahead with various experts in aquatic sector and environmental engineers about the best ways to address the situation," said Dr. Cope.
Learn more about the Naegleria fowleri and PAM here.
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