Man dies after being infected with flesh-eating bacteria in Florida

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – A man from Tennessee died this week after being infected with a bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus, during a trip to the Florida Panhandle, his daughter announced.

In an article on Facebook, Cheryl Bennett Wiygul said her father had been infected with the bacteria after a day spent paddling in the waters of Destin. He seemed happy and talkative, she said.

"Around 4 am, Saturday morning, 12 hours after our arrival in the water, he woke up with fever, chills and cramps.They arrived at the hospital of Memphis around 8 pm, "Wiygul said in a message. "They immediately brought him back in. While they helped him turn into a hospital gown, they saw that terribly swollen black stain on his back that was not there before. "

The condition of the man has deteriorated over the next few hours. Her immune system had been weakened by cancer, said the girl, and he died Sunday afternoon.

"He was gone on Sunday afternoon, and less than 48 hours after he was out of the water in top form, the bacteria had destroyed it," Wiygul wrote.

The laboratory results of the man showed that he had been infected with Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, wrote his daughter. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacterium is one of the possible causes of the devoured flesh phenomenon, called necrotizing fasciitis.

According to the CDC, vibrio vulnificus is common in coastal waters between May and October and can become a source of concern after events such as hurricanes and tropical storms due to the storm surge.

In June, a 77-year-old woman from Florida was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis after being cut off her leg on a Florida beach. She died, just like one in three who contract the flesh-eating bacteria, according to the CDC. This was the second case of necrotizing fasciitis reported on a Florida beach in less than a month.

"I absolutely do not try to scare people out of the beach or swim in. I love the water and my dad too," wrote Wiygul. "People need to know how to be more careful and recognize the symptoms – there is information but I have not found it all before it's too late."

Wiygul did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday night.

Another article she wrote on Facebook, dated Sunday, showed a picture of her father, smiling in the middle of green waves.

"There will always be a missing piece of our family, but thank God for giving it to us last week together and bringing it home quickly," reads the message. "I'm super jealous of heaven today, my God, my dad will miss me."