An 8-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting a very rare infection caused by a so-called brain-eating amoeba commonly associated with warm freshwater, her family confirmed.
Lillian Smart died over the weekend following a diagnosis linked to Naegleria fowleri, family spokesperson Kyle Roberts said. The organism, often described by health officials as a “brain-eating amoeba,” can live in warm freshwater across the United States and may cause a devastating infection when contaminated water enters the nose and reaches the brain. Fewer than 10 cases are reported in the U.S. in an average year.
“Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” her parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, wrote Sunday in a public post on Facebook. “The injuries to her brain were too severe for her little body to recover from. Everyone did everything they could to keep her here.”
Katie McCormick / Love for Lillian Facebook via AP
The Louisiana Department of Health announced last week that the state had recorded its first confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection since 2013. The agency did not name Smart, and spokesperson Stacey Grow said the department does not discuss individual patients or specific cases.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry responded to the child’s death on X, writing that he was “Heartbroken over the news of Lillian’s passing.”
State health officials said the infection was most likely picked up while swimming at Lake Claiborne in north Louisiana.
Naegleria fowleri can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, a severe brain infection that is almost always deadly. From 1937 through 2025, health officials say roughly 180 infections have been confirmed in the United States.
Although Naegleria fowleri can be found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds around the country, actual infections remain extremely uncommon, according to health experts. The risk arises when water is pushed up the nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain — a scenario that can occur during recreational freshwater activities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
The amoeba becomes dangerous in water that stays over 77 degrees Fahrenheit and for years has been seen almost exclusively in the summer in the southern part of the country. A few recent cases have appeared in Maryland, Indiana and Minnesota, scientists said.
“The amoeba is naturally occurring, and there is no routine environmental test for Naegleria fowleri in bodies of water,” the Louisiana Department of Health said.
Last year, a 12-year-old boy in South Carolina also died from an infection caused by the amoeba.
To reduce the risk of infection, the CDC suggests holding your nose or wearing a nose clip if you are jumping or diving into freshwater or keeping your head above water in hot springs. Signs of infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, a severe headache, stiff neck, seizures, altered mental state and hallucinations.
You cannot get a Naegleria fowleri infection from swallowing contaminated water or from someone else who is infected.
Kiki Intarasuwan
contributed to this report.
