Naegleriasis: Brain-Eating Amoeba Called 'Naegleria' Causes 13-Year-Old Teen to Fight For His Life

After swimming in Florida, a teenager was admitted to the hospital with a rare "brain-eating amoeba" called Naegleria fowleri.

NBC2, an NBC station in Fort Myers, Florida, reported that a 13-year-old teenager named Caleb Ziegelbauer was transported to the emergency department after having headaches and hallucinations. These signs appeared around a week after he and his family spent July 1 at a beach in Port Charlotte, Florida.

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Brain-Eating Amoeba (Naegleria Fowleri) Explained

Naegleria fowleri sometimes known as the "brain-eating amoeba," frequently entered the teenager's body through the nose before infecting the brains. Reports added that Caleb has been fighting for his life at Golisano Children's Hospital.

Today, citing experts explained that Naegleria fowleri is a single-cell organism that lives in warm freshwater waters. When it enters the body through the nose, it can result in a rare brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

PAM cases are quite uncommon. When prolonged heat results in a drop in water levels and increases in water temperatures, infections become more prevalent.

Headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting are among the early symptoms. Later symptoms include stuffy neck, disorientation, inattentiveness, balance loss, seizures, or hallucinations.

Only four out of 154 Americans infected with Naegleria fowleri from 1962 to 2021 survived, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it an uncommon disease that is nearly usually deadly.

Primary amebic meningoencephalitis, an uncommon and nearly usually deadly infection of the brain, is the result.

13-Year-Old Teen Suffers From Naegleriasis

Naegleriasis is a fatal infection of the brain cause by free-living unicellular eukaryote Naegleria fowleri.

According to a GoFundMe post, Caleb Ziegelbauer contracted the potentially fatal virus on July 1 while swimming at Port Charlotte Beach.

He complained of a headache five days later, followed by a fever and confusion.

According to the website, he was sent to a hospital in a hurry, where meningitis was discovered, and PICU was assigned to him. Later, doctors determined that the amoeba was the root of his disease.

"A lot of times, people don't get to the hospital quickly enough. We're hoping that we did," Katie Chiet, Caleb's aunt, told NBC2 (via The New York Post).

Elizabeth Ziegelbauer, another aunt, added that "He [Caleb] is fighting his little heart out on the inside."

Chiet claimed it took the family a few days of Caleb displaying symptoms before they understood that the amoeba might have been brought on by the water he was swimming in.

Caleb began receiving the CDC treatment to treat the amoeba on July 10, according to Chiet in the GoFundMe campaign.

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Caleb's Condition Worsening

On social media, Caleb's aunt Katie Chiet has been posting updates on his health. For the teen, things seem to be getting worse.

Chiet said on Facebook that Caleb's brain had greater inflammation overall, particularly in his nasal canal, as seen on the MRI.

Another aunt, Lesley Cornelison, said on another Facebook post that Caleb's everyday care involves a lot of trial and error. According to Cornelison, there is no procedure for Caleb's care because neither they nor we know the appropriate course of action.

Caleb's status is a subject of some mystery, according to Chiet. For the family, his prolonged hospitalization has been "lonely and isolating."

On July 22, Cornelisen posted an update about Caleb's health on Facebook. Caleb was admitted to the hospital on July 9 with what the medical staff thought to be meningitis.

Doctors are more worried about a Naegleria fowleri infection since it has impacted his nasal canals. They are using CDC guidelines to treat it.

Although Caleb is battling for his life, the virus is impacting his health terribly, according to Cornelisen. The family is pleading with people to offer support and prayers.