Recently a woman in California died of symptoms that were initially diagnosed as meningitis. The case has been subsequently been confirmed by the CDC to have been caused by Naegleria fowleri, or brain eating amoeba.

The amoeba infects people as they swim in warm, fresh water bodies. Entering through the nostrils, the microorganism travels through the skull before entering the brain. Once there, the microscopic lifeforms start to devour the brain.

Infections of Naegleria fowleri are exceptionally deadly, taking the lives of nearly everyone who becomes infected with the amoeba. However, the disease remains extremely rare, infecting fewer than eight people annually.

Infographic from www.livescienc.com