Officials from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) confirmed the presence of a brain-eating amoeba located in the local water system of Terrebonne Parish.

The infectious amoeba, identified as Naegleria fowerli, was discovered at the water system's last hydrant located on Island Road in the Pointe Aux Chenes community during a sample test earlier this month.

The health agency said that a second test site was found to be negative for the brain-eating amoeba, but the results showed that it was below the required levels for chloramine disinfectant. Two other sites were tested as well but both proved to be clear of the amoeba and met the needed chloramine levels.

A free chlorine burn in the area will last for about 60 days, according to state officials.

While the DHH said that the water is safe for consumption, the agency warned local residents not to get water into their nose to prevent the amoeba from entering their body.

The health agency pointed out that infections caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba are very rare, and that testing for the microorganism drinking water used by the public is relatively new and continuously evolving.

The DHH regularly carries out sampling for the Naegleria fowleri amoeba in public systems for drinking water. These tests are often conducted during the summer when temperatures begin to rise.

As of the moment, the Department of Health and Hospitals tested 21 different water systems in the area. Positive test results for Naegleria fowleri have been confirmed previously this summer in the parishes of Ascension and St. Bernard. Health officials in both parishes have begun carrying out chlorine burns.

The Naegleria fowleri amoeba is known to cause a type of brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis in which the microorganism destroys the tissues of an infected person's brain.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an individual infected by the brain-eating amoeba will experience symptoms bacterial meningitis during its initial stage. These include fever, nausea, vomiting and severe frontal headache.

Once the infection enters its second stage, the patient will begin to experience seizures, stiff neck, hallucinations and altered mental status. The infected individual can also go into a coma in extreme cases.

Photo: Steve Johnson | Flickr