State health officials said a North Carolina teen most likely contracted the fatal Naegleria fowleri infection at a community-based organization in Durham, which remains closed.
Investigators said the teen likely splashed water onto their face there, allowing the amoeba to enter through the nose rather than by swallowing contaminated water.
The teen was hospitalized in critical condition on Aug. 28 and died the following Monday; officials withheld the teen's identity at the family's request.
Earlier testing tied the case to a Durham water feature where Naegleria fowleri DNA was found, underscoring the rare but often deadly risk from warm freshwater exposure.