Naegleria fowleri , a.k.a. the brain-eating amoeba, can cause a rare, but nearly always fatal infection when it inadvertently enters people’s brains. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, may have just found a new weapon that can stop the amoeba before it turns deadly.

In a study published earlier this week, UC San Diego researchers detailed their discovery of a compound isolated from marine bacteria that seems to be especially effective against N. fowleri . In lab tests so far, the compound appeared capable of killing various strains of the amoeba within hours while mostly sparing human cells. More work is needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety, the researchers say.

“Our findings identified a potent marine-derived compound and its potential target in N. fowleri, ” they wrote in their paper, published Monday in the journal Marine Drugs.

Stopping a killer in its tracks

N. fowleri is a shapeshifting amoeba that lives in soil and warm freshwater.…