--- description: A swimmer in south Florida has been infected by brain-eating amoeba title: Florida Swimmer Contracts Brain-Eating Amoeba image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedcacc42ad69bf79/6988a203bc6cfc1ead3de382/amoeba-brain-eating.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Florida](/tag/florida/) ## Florida Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Florida Swimmer Infected by Brain-Eating Amoeba by [Abigail Abrams](/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 11, 2016 3:48 PM CUT  Naegleria fowlerii Naegleria fowleriiCDC by [Abigail Abrams](/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 11, 2016 3:48 PM CUT A swimmer in south Florida has been infected by [brain-eating amoeba](http://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-confirms-case-brain-eating-amoeba/story?id=41294220 "undefined"), _ABC News_ reports. The Florida Health Department confirmed the case after the swimmer spent time in unsanitary water on private property in Broward County. The infected person, whose age, name and gender have not been released, is being treated at a local hospital. The amoeba’s scientific name is Naegleria fowlerii. It can cause a rare and devastating infection of the brain, according to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html "undefined"). People are usually infected when amoeba enters their nose, and it is most often found in warm freshwater, according to the CDC. The infection caused by the organism is extremely fatal. Of the 138 individuals infected in the United States from 1962 to 2015, only three survived. This case in Florida comes days after an [11-year-old girl died](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/11-year-old-south-carolina-girl-dies-after-contracting-brain-eating-amoeba/ "undefined") from the amoeba after she swam in a river in South Carolina. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4448411/florida-swimmer-brain-eating-amoeba/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4448411/florida-swimmer-brain-eating-amoeba/"},"headline":"Florida Swimmer Infected by Brain-Eating Amoeba","datePublished":"2016-08-11T15:48:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T10:01:10.674Z","description":"The fatality rate is more than 97% for those infected","url":"https://time.com/4448411/florida-swimmer-brain-eating-amoeba/","keywords":["Florida","infection"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedcacc42ad69bf79/6988a203bc6cfc1ead3de382/amoeba-brain-eating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Abigail Abrams","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedcacc42ad69bf79/6988a203bc6cfc1ead3de382/amoeba-brain-eating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"amoeba-brain-eating","caption":"Naegleria fowlerii","creditText":"CDC","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/florida/","name":"Florida"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4448411/florida-swimmer-brain-eating-amoeba/","name":"Florida Swimmer Infected by Brain-Eating Amoeba"}}]}] ```