8-Year-Old Dies From Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba After Swimming in Louisiana Lake

A community in Louisiana is mourning the loss of an 8-year-old girl after she contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba while swimming in a lake near her home. Read on for details of this tragedy, as well as the facts about the infection and where it is most commonly found in the U.S.

Brain-Eating Amoeba Blamed for Death of 8-Year-Old Girl

Lilian Smart died over the weekend just days after turning eight years old. Smart was believed to have contracted a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in Lake Claiborne, located roughly 30 miles northwest of her home in Ruston.

Smart's parents posted on Facebook on Sunday morning announcing that “Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus. The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from." The family had noted earlier that she had been hospitalized due to significant brain swelling blamed on the parasite.

The Louisiana Department of Health broke the news last week, confirming that a resident had been hospitalized after likely contracting Naegleria fowleri. This microscopic amoeba lives in warm freshwater bodies of water that are more common in the southern third of the U.S. Naegleria fowleri can trigger a severe neurological infection when contaminated water flows up the nose and reaches the brain.

According to the state health department, the amoeba cannot cause infection if swallowed. It is also not contagious.