Breaking: Tap water in neti pots behind two brain-eating amoeba deaths in, investigation finds

(CBS News) Researchers believe that two people who died from the "brain-eating" amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri in 2011 contracted the infection after using neti pots with tap water to clear their sinuses.
Typically, people contract the amoeba from swimming in warm freshwater lakes and rivers since the organism thrives in warm temperatures. However, the victims - a 28-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman from Louisiana - had not been near freshwater. The only thing they had in common was that they both routinely used the tap water with neti pots. Further tests on their home plumbing came back positive for the amoeba, although the city's water distribution systems' tests came back negative. The bacteria was found in a tankless water heater in the man's home and in the bathroom sink and faucet tub of the woman's home.

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The investigation was published in the Aug. 22 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Naegleria fowleri causes brain swelling and death. Symptoms of infection start about five days after the amoeba is ingested. First symptoms may include headache, fever, nausea or vomiting, followed by stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations.

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