— Louisiana experienced its first confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection since 2013
August 24, 2026
• 2 min read
An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died after being infected by an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that is found in warm freshwater, her family says.
Lillian Smart died over the weekend after being diagnosed with an infection from Naegleria fowleri, according to Kyle Roberts, a spokesperson for her family. Health authorities describe it as a "brain-eating amoeba" that thrives in freshwater bodies around the U.S. and can shoot up the nose and cause an infection that almost always proves fatal. On average there are fewer than 10 cases annually in the U.S.
