An Israeli man has died of Naegleria fowleri, an extremely rare amoeba that causes encephalitis, the country’s Beilinson Hospital announced on Sunday.
The 26-year-old is suspected to have contracted the amoeba while swimming at Gai Beach in Tiberias.
He was admitted on Tuesday to Hasharon Hospital at Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikvah with fever, headache and vomiting. His condition rapidly deteriorated and he was diagnosed with Naegleria fowleri following a series of comprehensive tests.
On Wednesday evening, he was transferred to the intensive care unit within the neurological department at Beilinson Hospital, which is also part of Rabin Medical Center.
The Naegleria fowleri amoeba thrives in warm waters ranging from 35 to 42 degrees Celsius (95 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit), and infects humans only in rare cases.
This is the second case ever reported in Israel and the first time the amoeba has been discovered in a living patient.
The first case Naegleria fowleri was diagnosed in August 2022 at Poriya Medical Center near Tiberias in a patient who had died. The amoeba is only diagnosed about 10 times per year in the United States.