Deadly brain-eating bug discovered in towns' water supply! (video)

A deadly brain-eating bug has been found in a water system, serving three small towns in Louisiana.

The Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which attacks the human brain and nervous system, is commonly found in warm bodies of fresh water, such as ponds, lakes and rivers. It can cause a deadly brain infection if it enters the body through the nose and attaches itself to the olfactory nerve. Though rare, if untreated, this is usually fatal.

The US Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) said the water supply - that serves 12,500 people of Reserve, Garyville and Mt Airy - is to be cleaned and monitored. Once cleaned, the water will be safe to drink.

The district's water supply is the third in Louisiana to test positive for the bug, according to CBS news.

There are not believed to have been any deaths so far this time, since the bug was detected.

But a child in New Orleans died in 2011 after apparently absorbing the bug - and in 2013 it was linked to the deaths of a four-year-old boy from Mississippi and a 12-year-old from Florida, Sky News reports.