JERUSALEM, July 7 -- A 26-year-old Israeli man passed away at Beilinson Hospital in central Israel on Sunday due to complications from a rare brain-eating amoeba infection, the hospital confirmed in a statement.

An investigation conducted by the Israeli Health Ministry in recent days indicated that the patient, who had no pre-existing health conditions, likely contracted the infection while swimming in the Sea of Galilee lake in northeastern Israel.

The infection, known as naegleriasis or primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), is caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri and results in a severe brain infection.

"Despite exhaustive efforts by our medical teams, including drug therapy and surgical interventions, the patient's condition continued to deteriorate," the hospital's statement read.

This incident marks only the second recorded case of such an infection in Israel, occurring approximately two years after a 36-year-old man succumbed to the same disease, according to hospital records.

Although cases of PAM are exceedingly rare, over 97 percent of individuals afflicted with the infection have succumbed to it.

The amoeba thrives in freshwater bodies, puddles, and stagnant water with temperatures ranging from 35 to 42 degrees Celsius.

Initial symptoms of PAM include severe headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting, progressing to a stiff neck, seizures, or hallucinations within one to nine days after exposure.

  - Xinhua