A man in Missouri contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba, and officials believe he likely got it while water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks.

The amoeba is a single-celled organism that lives in hot springs, lakes and other warm freshwater bodies. The Missouri health department says this is only the state's third case on record, but infections are nearly always fatal.

Health officials in Missouri say a resident has contracted a lab-confirmed case of what is commonly known as "brain-eating" amoeba, and the individual had been at the Lake of the Ozarks before falling ill.