As a person who regularly uses nasal irrigation – but, of course, only with bottled or distilled water – I read the most recent Weekly ratio of the morbidity and mortality of the CDC (Mmwr) with extreme interest. The last of the mmwr “Land Notes“Dated May 29, 2025, describes the fatal case of a 71 -year -old healthy woman who died in Texas last year from primary amibic meningoencephalite (PAM), a rare but often deadly brain infection caused by Naegleria Fowleri. While most people who suffer from PAM meet N. Fowleri Thanks to recreational activities, such as swimming, in bodies of water containing the amoeba, the CDC report revealed that in this case, contaminated RV water was the source of the brain eater amoeba.
The CDC reports that the patient had carried out nasal irrigation a few times using unchanged tap water and not boiled with a VR water tap in a Texas campsite. Four days later, she developed “serious neurological symptoms” which included a fever, headache and “altered mental status”. It was treated for a suspected PAM infection but developed convulsions and died a little more than a week after the start of its symptoms. Post-mortem laboratory tests revealed that its cerebrospinal fluid contained N. Fowleri.
Investigators tested a dozen water and surface samples – including from the RV water tank and the campsite municipal water supply – for the presence of N. FowleriBut did not find it in any of the samples. This could be due in part to the fact that the sampling occurred 23 days after the last nasal irrigation event. However, investigators did discover that the water supply of the VR was not sufficiently disinfected and concluded that:
The nasal irrigation using tap water remains the suspected exposure route, given the absence of other exposure to the identified nasal water and the quality concerning the municipal water of the campsite and the RV tap water at the time of the sampling.
Unfortunately, this tragic case is highlighted, like the CDC states::
The serious health risk potential associated with improper use of nasal irrigation devices, as well as the importance of maintaining RV water quality and ensuring that municipal water systems adhere to regulatory standards.
This horrible case is certainly an excellent reminder to always use appropriate water when I do my nasal rinsing. I also beg you: if you are going to do a kind of nasal irrigation, please use only distilled or sterile water.
And as a final note, this CDC information sheet provides useful additional information that you cannot get N. FowleriInfection or WFP to drink contaminated water – to be infected, contaminated water must go up the nose.
Previously:
• How does a brain eating amibe eat brains?
• California wife killed by a brain eating amibe
• 6 Die from a brain -eating amoeba in the lakes
• The “brain eaters” friends kill a woman who used filtered tap water in the Neti pot
