The term "brain-eating amoeba" typically refers to Naegleria fowleri, a free-living microscopic amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs. Despite its benign-sounding name, N. fowleri is a formidable pathogen known to cause a rare but often fatal brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). This amoeba enters the human body through the nose, usually when individuals swim or dive in contaminated water. Once inside, it travels up the olfactory nerve to the brain, leading to severe inflammation and destruction of brain tissue.