Brain-Eating Amoeba Symptoms: Surfer Dead After Standing In Wave Pool

A 29-year-old surfer died after being infected by Naegleria fowleri, a rare but highly deadly amoeba, after a visit to the wave pool of a Central Texas resort recently. According to CBS affiliate KBTX-TV reports, the resort was closed following the incident.

Fabrizio Stabile, who recently visited the Waco, Texas, resort, died from what is commonly referred to as a "brain-eating amoeba." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was running tests at the BSR Cable Park's Surf Resort.

"The CDC collected water samples and are currently investigating to find the source. We hope to have results by the end of the week," said Kelly Craine, a spokesperson for Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.

The owner of the resort, Stuart E. Parsons Jr., said he was fully cooperating with the investigation of Stabile's death, who died in New Jersey early September after falling ill with Naegleria fowleri.

Stabile was in the park's wave pool when he was infected, Parsons said.

An obituary in The Press of Atlantic City described Stabile as an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing, surfing and snowboarding.

"Our hearts and prayers are with his family, friends and the New Jersey surf community during this difficult time," Parsons said, adding that the surf resort is in compliance with the CDC's "guidelines and recommendations concerning Naegleria fowleri."

According to the CDC, people are typically infected when they go diving or swimming in warm freshwater places. The agency said people get infected when contaminated water enters through their nose.

"Fabrizio's cerebrospinal fluid tested positive for the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, which caused a rare infection that has only been diagnosed 143 times in the United States in the last 55 years," his family said. "The worst-case scenario was unfolding in front of our eyes as we learned that this infection results in a 98 percent fatality rate. By the time Fabrizio was diagnosed, it was too late to administer the drug that had previously been provided to three of the only five known survivors in North America."

A GoFundMe page started by loved ones of Stabile said he tested positive for Naegleria fowleri the day before his death. Stabile "had been tested for a multitude of illnesses caused by various bacteria and viruses, but the results were coming back negative or inconclusive," the GoFundMe page said.

According to reports, symptoms of Naegleria fowleri may start about one day to 1 week after exposure. Initial symptoms may include changes in smell and taste, headache, fever, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting.