North Carolina Teen’s Fatal Brain-Eating Amoeba Infection Likely Tied to Durham Water Feature

DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina health officials say a rare, nearly always fatal brain infection that killed a 17-year-old boy was most likely linked to a decorative water feature at a community mental health center in Durham County.

The teen, identified by his family as Moises Ponce Mendoza, died Aug. 31, four days after state officials disclosed he was critically ill and being treated for an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba found in warm freshwater. Such infections are extremely rare but carry a mortality rate above 97%, according to the CDC.

In a report released Sept. 15, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said investigators could not determine with certainty where the teen was exposed. But interviews and environmental testing pointed to a water feature at El Futuro, a community-based mental health care center in Durham County, as the most likely source.

The Durham County Department of Health ordered the water feature closed on Aug. 28. Later testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected Naegleria fowleri in the water, officials said. The feature remains closed to the public.

“NC Department of Health and Human Services and Durham County Public Health informed El Futuro that testing identified the presence of Naegleria fowleri in a water feature at our green space,” El Futuro said in a statement.

“Our hearts are broken for the young boy who lost his life and for his family,” the center added. “We are committed to supporting his family and our community through this devastating loss. We will continue to fully cooperate with public health officials.”

Investigators interviewed family members to trace where the teen may have encountered the amoeba, including places he might have swum or touched warm freshwater. The family said he swam with relatives and friends at an apartment complex pool on Aug. 11 and Aug. 17. They also had planned visits to two ponds on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, though the report says it was unclear whether he actually went to the ponds or swam in them.

In a follow-up interview, family members identified another possible exposure site: El Futuro. The teen had contact with a garden water feature there on Aug. 13, including splashing water on his face, according to the report.

On Aug. 28, as investigators reviewed potential exposure sites, the Durham County Health Department advised El Futuro to close the water feature. It was later drained “to ensure it would not be used,” the report states.

Health officials described the feature as an interactive, manmade creek with a recirculating water system, multiple fountains, a play water pump and a fire hydrant-style fountain. El Futuro said it was maintained through power washing and hand-fed chlorination.

During an inspection, investigators found algal growth throughout the creek, as well as organic material and debris around the pump system and covering the filter, according to the report. Testing later detected non-viable Naegleria fowleri DNA in the fountain storage tank water.

“While this investigation does not allow us to conclusively determine the location of exposure, the epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental findings suggest that the El Futuro water feature was the most likely source,” the report says. “The lack of effective disinfection, visible algal growth, and detection of non-viable N. fowleri from the water feature support this conclusion.”

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The case highlights the narrow but serious risk posed by warm freshwater and poorly maintained water systems, particularly during stretches of hot weather. Public health officials say Naegleria fowleri infections are not spread from person to person and do not cause illness when swallowed; the danger comes when contaminated water enters the nose, allowing the amoeba to reach the brain.

The teen first went to an emergency room on Aug. 21 with a severe headache that had lasted two days, officials said. He returned the next day as his condition worsened and was admitted to the hospital.

“Upon hospital admission, Naegleria infection was suspected due to reports of freshwater swimming exposure and neurological presentation,” the report states. Laboratory testing confirmed Naegleria fowleri on Aug. 26. The teen died Aug. 31.

His mother, Monica Mendoza, said her son became severely ill after developing intense headaches, according to a GoFundMe page. She said she took him to the hospital after his symptoms worsened, but the family was sent home after a brief examination. The next morning, after his symptoms worsened again, she took him to the emergency department at the University of North Carolina Hospital, where he was placed in a coma as doctors worked to treat the brain infection.

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Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in warm freshwater, including lakes, ponds and rivers. It can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, an extremely rare but often fatal disease, according to the CDC.

Symptoms typically begin about five days after exposure, though they can appear anywhere from one to 12 days later, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Early signs include severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. They can quickly progress to a stiff neck, seizures and coma before often leading to death within about five days.

“These rare infections usually occur when it is hot for prolonged periods of time, which results in higher water temperatures and lower water levels,” the state health department said in a news release. “Naegleria fowleri grows best at higher temperatures up to 115°F.”

The CDC says fewer than 10 cases are reported in the United States each year, and more than 97% of people who develop the infection die. North Carolina health officials said infections are “very rare, with only 167 cases reported nationally between 1962 and 2024.”

The North Carolina case follows the death of an 8-year-old girl in Louisiana, who died Aug. 22 after contracting a Naegleria fowleri infection. State health officials said she may have been exposed while swimming in a Louisiana lake.

Contributing: Anthony Thompson and Melina Khan

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teen’s brain-eating amoeba infection likely linked to water feature