Photo: Centers for Disease Control
(Taylor Co., IA) -- A beach in southwest Iowa is closed as state health leaders say a dangerous amoeba may be present in the water. The Iowa Department of Public Health says a person from Missouri who recently swam at the beach at Lake of Three Fires in Taylor County has been infected with Naegleria fowleri, known as a brain eating bacteria. Naegleria fowleri is known to cause a brain infection that destroys brain tissue and can lead to death within about one to 12 days. The beach will remain closed while the water is being tested by the state and the Centers for Disease Control.