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MEMPHIS, Tennessee – A meat-eating bacteria near the coast is making headlines all over the country, and a man from Memphis is one of the few victims to die of it.
Cheryl Wiygul said that her family loved being in the water, including her father.
That's why last week, while her parents were visiting the Gulf Coast, they did everything by posting on Facebook how to take a boat to the bay and swim in Boggy Bayou.
She writes that her father had cancer and that his immune system had been compromised. She had seen warnings about open wounds in Gulf waters and heard about flesh-eating bacteria. They were therefore very cautious with Neosporin and liquid bandages.
"The term flesh-eating bacteria is an agglomeration of many types of infections," said Dr. Steve Threlkeld, an infectious disease specialist at Baptist Hospital. It can sometimes penetrate the skin and soft tissues and make people very sick. "
He did not look after Wiygul's father, but unfortunately that's where his father found himself about 24 hours after getting out of the water.
A black patch was forming on her back and her daughter stated that it was necrotizing fasciitis, or this flesh-eating bacterium, which quickly led to her death.
She said that she did not know that patients whose immune systems were exhausted were as vulnerable as those who had an open wound.
"If you go to the beach, do not swim in the water if you are immunosuppressive in high doses, like steroids, if you have received chemo, this should be a marker for you a little more cautious," Threlkeld said. .
Threlkeld said that this bacteria is far more likely to live in warm waters like in the Gulf, and that you can also catch it by eating raw seafood.
Wiygul said that she would like to see more warning signs and beach towns promoting awareness.
But overall, the doctor still said it was very rare, but some people should not take the risk.
Threlkeld said that there could be a higher risk of contracting the disease after a hurricane or a tropical system – whenever the water is very hot. He does not know if there has been more cases of flesh-eating bacteria this year than before. He said recent cases had just happened at about the same time.
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