36-year-old Israeli man dies from rare brain-eating amoeba

Jerusalem: A 36-year-old man in northern Israel died after he contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba, the Israeli Ministry of Health has reported in a statement.

The man, who had no underlying diseases, died from naegleriasis, also known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare, devastating infection of the brain, caused by the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the ministry.

This amoeba type is found in freshwater, puddles, and other stagnant water sources, and an investigation into possible exposure of the deceased is underway, it noted.

The rare case was diagnosed at the Poriya Medical Center in Tiberias, a northeastern resort city by the Sea of Galilee and was reported to the ministry’s central laboratory.

Due to the rarity of the case, a clinical sample was sent for diagnosis confirmation to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the initial stage of PAM infection, which occurs via the nose, symptoms can include a severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting.

As the infection worsens, symptoms, which appear one to nine days after the exposure, can further develop into a stiff neck, seizures or hallucinations.

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