Can tap water cause Naegleria fowleri infection?

Hello doctor,

I am in a subtropical state. As I was washing my face a few days ago, I accidentally got some tap water up my nose. Vaguely aware that there might be concerns about the Naegleria fowleri amoeba down here, I panicked and then took some bottled mineral water and tried to rinse my nose with it, thinking that that might be more thoroughly purified and wash away anything from the tap water. However, the bottled water ended up going much further up my nose, and it felt the way it used to feel when getting water up my nose in a swimming pool as a kid. That happened a few days ago. I am worried whether either of these water sources (tap and/or bottled water) could have contained the amoeba. I have been having some issues with mucus dripping from the back of my nose into my throat, occasionally mild pressure when I swallow, and for the past couple of days I have had a vague headache all day, but nothing intensely painful (it seems to have diminished somewhat today, though perhaps not fully gone away). I am not sure if I should go to an ER for evaluation, or if I should just wait and see if any more characteristic symptoms develop. I have not observed any changes in smelling ability, nor any neck pain; just a mild, vague headache. I know that if one gets the Naegleria fowleri infection time is of the essence, but I do not want to go spend a lot of money and time at the ER just to have them say that they do not see anything yet and to come back if anything changes. Is there a test they could do at this point to determine if an amoeba is present, or is that only practicable if an infection reaches a more serious stage? Should I go to an emergency room now or just wait and see what happens?

Hello doctor,

Thank you for your time. Both the recent exposures occurred approximately three and a half days ago. The bottled water went much further up my nose than the tap water, and although it is supposedly purified, it is not sterile. I think this bottled water originates from surface water in several southern states, and the company is very unwilling to provide additional details about its purification beyond what is on their website. After the bottled water exposure, I very briefly tried steaming over some boiled water with a towel. I only did this for several seconds, however, I thought that the steam going up my nose was too hot. If I had burned the interior of my nasal cavity with the steam, could it cause a headache-like feeling behind my eyes and in the front of my head? Also, do you recommend not going to an ER unless things get notably worse? Would they only do the test you mentioned if the more serious kinds of symptoms developed? I only ask this because I thought that that kind of test took a couple of weeks to process or complete, so that the longer one waited, the less useful the results might be with something that can move so quickly if it strikes.