A rare brain infection has led Iowa officials to close a Taylor County beach. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said the temporary closure is a precautionary response to a confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection in a Missouri resident who had a recent possible exposure while swimming at the beach at Lake of Three Fires State Park. Testing to confirm the presence of the “brain-eating amoeba” is being conducted in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and may take several days to complete. The department wrote that it is working closely with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and will share updates as test results become available. FRENCH HEALTH ORGANIZATION INDICATES GROUPS AT RISK TO BE VACCINATED AGAINST BLAZE There are no additional suspected cases under investigation in Iowa. The Lake of Three Fires State Park in Taylor County, Iowa (Iowa Department of Natural Resources) In its own statement, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services wrote that the patient from Missouri is currently being treated for primary meningoencephalitis (PAM) in a hospital’s intensive care unit. He said the source of the patient’s exposure is being investigated and local and out-of-state activity is being looked into. The only other case identified among a Missouri resident occurred in 1987, and no other suspected PAM cases are being investigated there. “These conditions are extremely rare in the United States and particularly in Missouri, but it’s important for people to know that infection is a possibility so they can seek medical care early if they develop symptoms,” said Dr. George Turabelidze, Missouri state epidemiologist, said in a statement. Naegleria fowleri (commonly referred to as “brain-eating amoeba” or “brain-eating amoeba”) is a tiny free-living amoeba*, (single-celled living organism). It can cause a rare** and devastating brain infection called primary mutualistic meningoencephalitis (PAM). (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) PREDICTION: WHAT IS THE FACE BLINDING CONDITION BRAT PITT SAYS HE HAS The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said on Facebook Friday that it is strongly believed by public health experts that the lake is a possible source and that additional public water sources in Missouri are being tested. Missourians are cautioned to use caution when swimming and diving in warm freshwater and to assume the presence of Naegleria fowleria in these conditions. Since 1962, only 154 known cases have been identified in the US PAM is not contagious, but it can be life-threatening. The Lake of Three Fires State Park in southwest Iowa (Iowa Department of Natural Resources) Naegleria fowleri, the free-living microscopic single-celled organism that causes PAM, is commonly found in lakes, rivers, hot springs, and the soil. It usually infects humans when contaminated water enters the nose and the amoeba travels to the brain. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In very rare cases, infections can also occur when contaminated water from other sources enters the nose, but a person cannot become infected by ingesting contaminated water. Symptoms of infection include severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, seizures, alert mental status, and hallucinations. Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find her on Twitter at @JuliaElenaMusto.
