By Francesca Gariano -
NBC News
A Florida teenager was recently hospitalized for a rare case related to the 'brain-eating amoeba'.
Caleb Ziegelbauer, 13, was taken to the emergency room after experiencing what was described to the NBC News affiliate in Fort Myers as
headaches and hallucinations.
The symptoms began about a week after he and his family traveled to a beach in Port Charlotte, Florida, on July 1.
After the teenager was taken to the emergency room by his parents, doctors at the hospital were told that
Naegleria Fowleri
, commonly known as the 'brain-eating amoeba', had entered his body through his nose before infecting his brain.
Since then, he has been fighting for his life at Golisano Children's Hospital.
Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose.Getty Images
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
N. fowleri
is a single-celled organism
found in bodies of warm fresh water.
It can cause a rare infection in the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis when it enters the body through the nose.
Cases of this disease are extremely rare.
Infections are more common when prolonged heat causes a drop in water level and an increase in water temperature.
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Initial symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting, followed later by neck stiffness, confusion, inattention, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations.
Caleb's aunt, Katie Chiet, said many people "don't get to the hospital quickly enough" and that the family is "hopeful" that they sought care in time.
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"Unfortunately,
Naegleria fowleri
presents as if the child has meningitis,"
she said, so it took her family a while to realize her symptoms could be related to exposure in the beach water.
The woman added that the swelling in Caleb's brain had grown since he was hospitalized.
In a Facebook post on July 16, she shared more updates about her nephew, saying that he was in the intensive care unit.
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"Extubated last night, breathing on his own, stable," she wrote.
"He is in a minimally conscious state ... but otherwise he is sleeping and struggling. His MRI shows more swelling in his brain, especially along his nasal canal," he added.
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Chiet called the experience "lonely and isolating."
"Because we don't know where we are on any kind of timeline. It's the 17th and Caleb is still breathing on his own. Are we clear of suspicion? Are we on the road to healing? Are we waiting for something else to happen? ", he claimed.
Elizabeth Ziegelbauer, another aunt of Caleb's, said her nephew has the "kindest soul," adding, "He's so strong. Like fighting outside, which is what we're doing. He's fighting with his little heart."
Chiet and Ziegelbauer did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News.
This month, another case of
N. fowleri
was detected in a Missouri resident who was exposed at Three Fires Lake in Iowa, causing the beach to be temporarily closed.