Person infected by 'brain-eating' amoeba in Hillsborough County in Florida - Naples Daily News

The amoeba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain.

It can cause a rare and devastating infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). (Photo: PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION).

An amoeba that destroys brain tissue has been confirmed in an unidentified person in Florida.

The amoeba can cause a rare infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) that destroys brain tissue and is usually fatal.

Commonly found in warm freshwater — such as lakes, rivers, ponds and canals — the amoeba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain.

The amoeba can cause a rare infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) that destroys brain tissue and is usually fatal.

Of those cases, 30 people were infected by recreational water, three people were infected after performing nasal irrigation using contaminated tap water and one person was infected by contaminated tap water used on a backyard slip-n-slide

More: 10-year-old girl dies of brain-eating amoeba contracted from Texas river

Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose

Very rarely, infections have been reported when people submerge their heads or get water up their nose, cleanse their noses during religious practices, or irrigate their sinuses (nose) using contaminated tap or faucet water