Tap water linked to a gruesome death?

A man recently died in a manner none of us would want, like something out of a horror movie.

The 78-year-old, who had nasal polyps and asthma, began developing lesions and ulcers that began eating away at his skin and disfiguring him. Doctors had no answers until he was transferred to a hospital at the Yale School of Medicine. It was there that the cause of the man’s grisly condition was learned—Acanthamoeba, a common amoeba found nearly everywhere, including tap water.

The amoeba’s victim had been regularly using tap water nasal rinses to treat his polyps as well as taking a medication marketed as Dupixent, used to treat asthma, and various skin and sinus conditions. If you watch TV, you’ve likely seen the ads.

Six weeks after his Acanthamoeba diagnosis, the man passed away due to his multiple infections and organ failure.

Doctors still aren’t certain how the initial infection began, but they speculate that the tap water nasal rinses contributed. As far as Dupixent, six children developed parasitic worm infections while taking it during drug trials. The Yale doctors said Duipixent “...possibly increases the risk for parasitic infections.”

The takeaways? If using tap water for nasal rinsing, boil it first. If taking Dupixent, it may be worthwhile to have a conversation with a physician. It’s worth noting that Acanthamoeba is linked to eye infections, often in contact lens wearers who don’t clean them thoroughly.

You can read more about this troubling case in “Ars Technica.”
https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/05/amoebas-eat-man-alive-over-months...