Conversation

"In these cases—and almost all others—it’s unclear how or why the patients became infected. B. mandrillaris lives in soil and water around the world, though cases are mostly seen in warm places. People are thought to get infected by inhaling the amoeba from windblown dust or by getting contaminated soil or water in a wound. Experts do not know why some people become infected and others don’t. People with compromised immune systems are at higher risk, but healthy people, like the boy in the new case report, can also become infected.

Common initial symptoms of B. mandrillaris begin with fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, and tiredness. In some cases, people develop telltale skin lesions, particularly on the face. Neurologic symptoms can develop days, weeks, or months later, including changes in mental status, confusion, seizures, paralysis, and difficulty walking and/or talking."
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/08/an-ultra-rare-amoeba-was-destroying-a-toddlers-brain-doctors-missed-it/