Missouri Resident Dies After Contracting Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba at Lake of the Ozarks

St. Louis, Mo. (KFMO) - A Missouri resident has died after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

Officials said the patient, identified only as an adult Missouri resident, passed away at a St. Louis-area hospital. The individual became ill after likely being exposed to Naegleria fowleri during a recent waterskiing trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. The state continues to investigate the exact source of exposure. Lisa Cox with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says this amoeba isn't rare.

DHSS reports only 167 cases nationwide between 1962 and 2024. Symptoms of infection typically appear within one to 12 days of exposure and can include severe headache, fever, nausea, stiff neck, vomiting, confusion, and meningitis-like inflammation in the brain. The illness is almost always fatal.

Health officials urge swimmers and boaters to avoid getting water up their noses when in warm freshwater lakes and rivers, as that is the primary pathway for the amoeba to enter the body.