Boy dies of apparent amoeba infection

Hunter Boutain, the 14-year-old boy infected by an apparent brain-swelling amoeba while swimming in a Minnesota lake, has died.

"Hunter's condition deteriorated throughout the night and he was declared brain dead this morning," said a statement Thursday by the boy's uncle, Bryan Boutain. "Hunter died surrounded by his family. It is a deeply emotional time for all us. We ask for privacy and prayers as we remember our beloved Hunter."

The boy was being treated for the usually fatal infection at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.

If the cause is confirmed, it will be the third known fatality in Minnesota since 2010 attributed to the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri. The boy was thought to have contracted the amoeba while swimming in Lake Minnewaska, about 30 miles from Alexandria, Minn., where he lived.

The amoeba has been considered more commonly a threat in southern climates.