State confirms death of Missouri patient with rare ‘brain-eating’ infection

MISSOURI — Missouri health leaders have confirmed that the patient suffering from a laboratory-confirmed infection of a brain-eating amoeba died on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

According to a Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) news release, the adult Missouri patient died in a St. Louis area hospital yesterday.

On Aug. 13, the DHSS announced the case of the patient with a laboratory-confirmed infection of Naegleria fowleri.

The DHSS said Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic single-celled free-living amoeba that can cause a rare deadly infection of the brain called “primary amebic meningoencephalitis,” (PAM) also known as a “brain-eating” infection.

The full article is available at ozarksfirst.com.

(Story by Kathryn Skopec, ozarksfirst.com)