It's something that most have seen in a scary movie or a frightful tragedy, but last month a woman succumbed to an infection that was titled "primary amoebic meningoencephalitis," according to Reno Gazette-Journal.

The woman, who was a resident of Bishop, California, was flown to a regional medical center in Reno, Nevada, following symptoms of her illness. When on site at the Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, she experienced cardiac arrest and died on June 20.

According to Richard Johnson, M.D., of Inyo Public Health, her name has not yet been released to the public, but the media has been told that she was a 21-year-old girl with no disclosure of previous health issues prior to the infection.

The amoeba, which is called Naegleria fowleri, can infect humans in warm, fresh water, particularly when diving or swimming in the infected pool. It invades the human body through the nose or mouth and makes its way to the brain where it begins to destroy the brain tissue, leading to fatal consequences.

Although this was the first reported case of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, in the eastern Sierras as well as in Bishop, there have been seven previous cases reported in the state of California.

"This is a very unusual biology lesson, but an extremely tragic one," Johnson said. "Our next steps are to inspect the suspected sites of exposure to find what risk factors might exist like places where people might go swimming and where the domestic water supply is on the property."

In the area, commercial water sites with hot springs are treated and generally considered safe, but Johnson advises against people using hot springs that are not treated because of the chance the amoeba could be present. He also said the best way to stay safe in those situations is to keep your head above water, which keeps the amoeba from entering the body through its normally designated port of entry.