A trip to the beach ended in tragedy: in Florida, a teenager became infected with a brain-eating amoeba

A teenager in Florida, Caleb Siegelbauer, 13, was recently hospitalized with an infection caused by the "brain-eating amoeba" Naegleria Fowleri, reports Yahoo.

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He was taken to the emergency room after experiencing what NBC2, the NBC affiliate in Fort Myers, Florida, described as headaches and hallucinations. These symptoms began to appear about a week after he and his family went to the beach in Port Charlotte, Florida on July 1.

After parents took the teen to the emergency room, doctors at the hospital were told that Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba," entered his body through his nose before infecting his brain. In the weeks that followed, he fought for his life in the Golisano Children's Hospital.

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According to the CDC, Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism that lives in warm freshwater. It can cause a rare brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) when it enters the body through the nose.

Cases of PAM are extremely rare. Infections become more common when prolonged heat waves cause water levels to drop and water temperatures to rise.

Initial symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting, which are later followed by a feeling of heaviness in the neck, confusion, lack of attention, loss of balance, convulsions, or hallucinations.

Caleb's aunt Cathy Chiet said many people "don't get to the hospital fast enough" and said the family "hopes" they got help in time.

“Unfortunately, Naegleria fowleri manifests itself as if the child has meningitis,” she said, so it took his family time to figure out that his symptoms could be related to exposure to beach water.

She said that since he was admitted to the hospital, the inflammation in the teen's brain had increased. In a Facebook post dated July 16, she shared more information about her nephew, explaining that he is in intensive care.

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“He was extubated last night; he is breathing on his own, stable, and loved by his parents,” she wrote. -He is in a minimally conscious state, so he has very short periods of consciousness/wakefulness, but otherwise sleeps and fights like hell. His MRI shows more inflammation in his brain, especially in his nasal passage."

Caleb's aunt Elizabeth Siegelbaur said her nephew has "the kindest soul," adding, "He's so strong. He fights. He fights with all the strength of his little heart inside."

Earlier this month, another case of Naegleria fowleri was found in a Missouri resident who was infected at Lake of Three Fires in Iowa, leading to a temporary beach closure from Thursday, July 7.

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