CDC Warns Against Nasal Rinsing With Tap Water, Cites Deadly Amoeba Infections

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has renewed its warning against using tap water for nasal irrigation, as a newly published investigation linked the practice to infections of a deadly amoeba.

In a report published on Tuesday, CDC scientists examined ten cases where patients ranging in age from 32 to 80 became ill after contracting the amoeba acanthamoeba, a single-celled organism that can be found worldwide in soil and many types of water, including lakes, rivers, and tap water.

Acanthamoeba can cause keratitis, which is an infection of the eye that does not spread to other parts of the body, according to the report. However, they can also cause a variety of severe human infections, including granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE)—an infection causing severe inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, typically in those with a compromised immune system.

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