Deadly amoeba causes 1st fatality in Japan.

KURUME, Fukuoka: The death of a Saga woman in 1996 was caused by a killer amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, the first such fatality recorded in Japan, a Kurume University research team told The Yomiuri Shimbun on Monday.

According to the School of Medicine of Kurume University's research team, only four people have reportedly died of brain disease caused by amoebas in this country.

The 25-year-old woman fell ill in November 1996. She suffered from fever, headaches and vomiting, and she later became comatose. She died 10 days after she exhibited symptoms that indicated a brain disease.

The research group identified the amoeba, which propagated in the …