Brain-eating amoeba - Naegleria fowleri

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A recent episode of Australian Story on the ABC told about the tragic death of a very young boy in Northern Queensland due to the amoeba Naegleria fowleri in water from a garden hose.

More information on this amoeba and the  primary amoebic meningoencephalitis it causes can be found in the explanatory piece, "What are brain-eating amoeba and how can we reduce their harm?" published by gastroenterologist and academic, Vincent Ho, in The Conversation. Fortunately, infections of this type from Naegleria fowleri are quite rare, as opposed to another amoebic organism, Entamoeba histolytica which is estimated to result in up to 100,000 deaths per year across the world.