In the conclusion of the episode, Cameron, acting as Foreman's medical proxy, performs a white-matter brain biopsy and the condition is revealed to be primary amoebic meningoencephalitis caused by Naegleria, a water-borne parasite that, upon being inhaled, attacks the brain.
In Osaka Prefecture, Japan, members of Acanthamoebidae (as well as Naegleria) were found in 68.7% of tap water samples taken, despite purification.