The infection destroys brain tissue, which is why the infection is commonly referred to as a brain-eating amoeba.

Rare cases of Naegleria fowleri can result in a severe infection in the brain, with infection fatal in around 95% of cases.

Naegleria fowleri, the rare, but deadly, so-called brain-eating amoeba, can be found in Pennsylvania's waters.

A 12-year-old boy has died from a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in a South Carolina lake over the July Fourth weekend.

Can brain-eating amoeba infections be cured? Though extremely rare - typically affecting fewer than 10 people a year in the U.S. - brain infections caused by Naegleria fowleri are nearly always fatal.

The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is found around the world in soil and warm fresh water. It can also appear in tap water and less often in swimming pools that haven’t been properly chlorinated ...