A brain-eating killer amoeba: What to know about Naegleria fowleri

As Americans find ways to cope with an unusually sweltering summer, many of them have taken to bodies of water to cool off. But at least two people who ventured to freshwater swimming holes this summer have died after contracting an amoeba that devours brain tissue.

A man died after he was infected by the amoeba, whose scientific name is Naegleria fowleri, the Georgia Department of Public Health said Friday. Earlier this month, Nevada public health officials said a boy died of the same infection after he probably came into contact with the amoeba at Ash Springs, a hot springs about 100 miles north of Las Vegas.

Here’s what to know about Naegleria fowleri, where it’s found and how to recognize or avoid an infection.