Most bodies of water and water sources are safe, they are tested regularly to ensure that they are safe for human use, and it is quite rare that anyone has issues with them, especially as grave as this one. In a terrible twist, a 71-year-old woman from Texas tragically passed away after contracting a rare brain infection linked to using water from her RV’s tank to flush her sinuses. The infection came courtesy of an amoeba, called Naegleria fowleri, better known for its common name, brain-eating amoeba.
The 71-year-old woman’s case is a true tragedy. While on vacation in her RV she decided to flush her sinuses and trusted the water from the RV park she was staying at, which had been declared safe for human consumption, except that usually people use it to cook or shower, not introduce it to their body through one of the most direct passageways to the brain.
This brain-eating amoeba causes a disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is nearly always fatal, and it usually only occurs when people come into contact with this deadly organism through warm freshwater, like lakes, ponds, or unmaintained pools. It thrives in these environments, especially during hot weather, and infections tend to happen when water is forced up the nose during swimming or other water-based activities.
But in this case and according to a report from the CDC, “the patient had no recreational exposure to fresh water; however, she had reportedly performed nasal irrigation on several occasions using non-boiled water from the RV potable water faucet during the four days before illness onset.” Even with medical intervention for suspected PAM, “the patient developed seizures and subsequently died eight days after symptom onset.”
The danger of using in home nasal washes and why you should be cautious about this brain eating amoeba
Since most of the times this amoeba can be found in freshwater, not stagnant bodies of water (it is also there, but most people are more cautious with those water sources and thus they are less dangerous overall), by the times the authorities detect a case and investigate the water source it is too late, and the amoeba is gone. This is what happened in this case as well, by the time authorities tested the RV tank and campground water source 23 days later thy could no longer find it in the water.
Tests did reveal cloudy water and a lack of proper disinfectant levels, which suggest the conditions may have been perfect for dangerous microorganisms to grow as weak disinfectant levels also allow biofilms to form, which are basically slimy protective layers where pathogens like Naegleria fowleri can thrive.
The takeaway form this story is not to be paranoid, but to avoid flushing out your sinuses with anything other than sterile or distilled water, as it can be very dangerous, as we just described. The CDC is clear on that point, tap water or water from an RV tank might seem safe to drink or wash with, but it is not necessarily free from microscopic dangers when pushed up your nose.
The symptoms of PAM start out vague, headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting are common in the first stages and can be ascribed to almost anything, but they escalate quickly. As the infection advances, people may experience stiff necks, confusion, difficulty balancing, and even hallucinations, and once symptoms appear, death usually follows in one to 18 days. The survival rate is extremely low, out of 164 cases in the U.S. over the last 60 years, only four people have lived.
“This case reinforces the potential for serious health risks 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,” the CDC report stressed.