8-Year-Old Girl Dies After Contracting Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba in Louisiana Lake

An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died after being infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, her family said on Aug. 23.

Lilian Smart died on Aug. 22, shortly after celebrating her 8th birthday, according to a Facebook page created by her family. In an earlier post, her family said Lilian developed significant swelling due to the Naegleria fowleri amoeba.

“Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” her family wrote. “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from. Everyone did everything they could to keep her here. We are heartbroken and honestly do not know what to do next.”

The Louisiana Department of Health said in an Aug. 19 statement that a resident had been infected with Naegleria fowleri, a water-borne amoeba that can infect the brain and destroy brain tissue. The department did not identify the resident.

It said the resident likely contracted the amoeba while swimming in Lake Claiborne, located in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry posted on X, calling on people to pray for the Smart family.

“Heartbroken over the news of Lillian’s passing,” the governor said. “Please join Sharon and me in prayer for the Smart family and the entire Ruston community during this time.”

Rare Infection Risk

Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals, and ponds throughout the United States, the Louisiana Department of Health said. It thrives in freshwater at temperatures of up to 115°F.

“The amoeba is naturally occurring, and there is no routine environmental test for Naegleria fowleri in bodies of water,” the department said in the statement.

Health officials said infection can occur when water containing the amoeba rushes up the nose and reaches the brain. However, the amoeba cannot infect people when swallowed, and infection cannot spread from one person to another, according to the department.

The infection can cause symptoms such as severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures, and coma, which may result in death. Symptoms typically occur about five days after infection, but can develop within one to 12 days after exposure, according to the department.

People are advised to be cautious when swimming in warm freshwater during periods of extreme heat, including keeping their heads out of the water, wearing nose clips when going underwater, and avoiding submersing their heads in hot springs and other untreated fresh thermal water.

“The infection is extremely rare, but nearly always fatal,” the department said. “Though the risk of infection is low, recreational water users should always assume there is a risk when they enter warm fresh water.”

Only 180 cases of Naegleria fowleri infections have been reported in the United States from 1937 through 2025, including three cases in Louisiana, according to the department.