A species of amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri is found around the world in water and soil. In rare cases, they can latch onto the nasal cavity of people swimming in water where the amoeba live and will eat away the person's brain tissue.
Naegleria is a free-living amoeba commonly found in the environment in water and soil. Only one species of Naegleria has been found to infect humans, Naegleria fowleri.