Flesh-Eating Bacteria: Time to Panic?

Necrotizing fasciitis — more commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria — has hit the headlines lately in a big way. Georgia graduate student Aimee Copeland, who has been fighting for her life, and a new mother of twins from South Carolina, are among the victims. Despite the spate of recent reports, the infection is actually rare, but when it strikes it can leave victims maimed and even dead. Copeland has endured multiple surgeries and has had her left leg, right foot, and both hands amputated. Lana Kuykendall, a paramedic who gave birth last month, also has undergone surgeries after noticing an unusual spot on the back of her leg that turned out to be the infection. The infection is caused by bacteria that usually don’t result in disease unless they get through the body’s barrier through a cut and into the blood, muscle, or lungs. In Copeland’s case, it was a gash in her leg after falling from a zip line over a Georgia river. “Flesh-eating bacteria is actually a group of different types of bacteria that can invade the body at a deep level and basically dissect along the muscles and take over the body,” Dr. Kenneth Beer, a dermatology instructor at the University of Miami who also has a private practice in Palm Beach, Fla., tells Newsmax Health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 9,000 to 11,500 cases of invasive Group A Streptococcus, one of the causes of flesh-eating bacteria infection, occur annually in the United States and kill 1,000 to 1,800 people. Of the invasive GAS cases, 6 to 7 percent comprise necrotizing fasciitis. (Most GAS infections cause relatively mild illnesses, like strep throat.) Some people can contract the infection from a minor nick, says Dr. Beer, whose website is at palmbeachcosmetic.com. “Sometimes it can be as simple as an abrasion as in case of the woman from Georgia, and sometimes it’s just something simple like a cyst that gets infected,” he says. People with weakened immune systems, who take immune-suppressing drugs, and who have diabetes, are most at risk. The flesh-eating bacteria infections should be treated with high doses of antibiotics as soon as possible, Dr. Beer says. Surgery also can be necessary to remove infected tissue and stop the spread of the disease. What can you do to protect yourself from getting a flesh-eating bacteria infection? “The best precaution would be as soon as you get an abrasion or injury, wash it with warm water and some soap,” Dr. Beer says. “If you notice the area getting warm, red, streaking up your arm, or you start to run fevers and feel sick, then you should see a doctor as soon as you possibly can.” For more information, visit Dr. Beer's website at palmbeachcosmetic.com.