A Texas teenager is the latest victim of brain-eating amoeba when he contracted the rare disease after swimming in a lake about 70 miles north of Houston, according to his family and local media.
Michael Riley Jr., 14, a junior Olympian and honor student, allegedly contracted the disease after he went swimming with his track team in the waters of Sam Houston State Park on Aug. 13, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Several days after the trip, the teen reported feeling disoriented and then developed a fever with an extreme headache and neck pain. At first doctors didn't know what was wrong with him, but a physician at Texas Children's Hospital-West Campus recognized the symptoms as being consistent with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, which is caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that fourishes in war waters.
Following the physicians instruction, doctors put Riley into a medically induced coma and monitored his brain activity. However, his condition continued to deteriorate until he lost all brain functions and died Sunday, according to CNN.
"It is with a heavy heart that we tell you, Michael John Riley Jr. lost his battle on this earth but won a victory for his place in the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ," according to the family's Facebook post. "Michael fought a courageous fight over the past week, allowing him to move on to be with the Lord for future heavenly tasks, a beautiful set of wings, and a pair of gold running shoes."
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the "brain-eating amoeba," is a single-celled living organism that rarely infects humans. However, when it does, it's usually fatal.
In light of this event, Riley's family vowed to support scientific efforts to better understand PAM, as well as work on an awareness campaign to prevent others from contracting the disease.
