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Rare, 'brain-eating' bug kills Indiana man near lake

Updated: Wednesday, 05 Sep 2012, 3:24 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 05 Sep 2012, 3:24 PM EDT

INDIANA (WLFI) - State and federal officials are investigating the death of a southwestern Indiana man killed by a rare, “brain-eating” bug.

Officials haven't yet confirmed 30-year-old Waylon Abel of Loogootee died of a rare infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, but the autopsy report released Friday lists it as his primary cause of death.

He died Aug. 7, just more than three weeks after a family outing at West Boggs Lake, about 60 miles northeast of Evansville.

The beach there was ordered closed Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has three confirmed cases of the disease this year in Minnesota, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

A CDC spokeswoman says it expects to receive and test samples of the suspected Indiana case later this week.

This particular parasite thrives in warm water.

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