Naegleria fowleri is the name of the amoeba I mentioned in class today. It is found in warm bodies of fresh water and can cause confusion, hallucinations, coma and ultimately death following an infection of the olfactory bulb and sinus tissue in the nose; from there, it climbs nerve fibers through the floor of the cranium to infect the brain, consuming neural tissue until death occurs within about 2 weeks.
It is extremely rare (responsible for 6 deaths in the U.S. in 2007), but extremely deadly (only 3% of patients have survived once infected). This is a rather gruesome subject, but being able to better identify and protect ourselves (and others) from a variety of disorders and infections is one motivation to learning more about the nervous system.
For those interested, *here* is a relevant news release, and *here* is an information fact sheet regarding N. fowleri from the Centers for Disease Control.