A woman in Seattle contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba after using a neti pot filled with tap water.
A woman in Seattle contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba after using a neti pot filled with tap water, reports the Seattle Times. According to the case report, which was recently published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, after a month of using the water and the pot to clean out her sinuses, the woman sought medical attention for a rash on her nose she thought was rosacea, a common skin condition. About a year later, she experienced a seizure. A scan of her brain showed a large mass, and a biopsy revealed the brain tissue was dead. That sample and one taken from the rash on her nose were forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and both were found to contain the extremely rare brain-eating amoeba Balamuthia mandrillaris. By the time that was learned, the woman had passed away. While such infections are unusual, experts advise that only saline and sterile water be used to flush the sinus cavities.
