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ORLANDO, Florida (FOX 35 ORLANDO) – A Tampa woman said she contracted a flesh – eating bacteria on a Florida beach just days after the infection of an Orlando woman in the same area.
The woman posted her experience on Facebook. She wrote that she had contracted the infection after swimming in Manasota Key with a cut of the size of a pinhole.
A few days earlier, a woman from Orlando had shared her experience with flesh-eating bacteria. Sarah Martinez says that she contracted the infection after swimming in Turtle Beach, Sarasota, with a nick on her ankle. She was hospitalized and released after the doctors gave her antibiotics.
"The cup was really red, it was really swollen, I could hardly put pressure on my foot when I walked," she said.
In the past two weeks, doctors have observed at least five cases of flesh-eating bacteria. These infections all came from beaches on the west coast of Florida. The victims range from a 77-year-old woman who died of infection on Anna Marie Island to a 12-year-old woman needing multiple surgeries after being infected in Destin.
Scientists from the Florida Gulf Coast University are closely monitoring these cases now that the summer is approaching. Dr. Matt Swearingen, professor of biology at FGCU, said hot water allows bacteria to flourish.
"The incidence of infections increases as the water warms, and decreases as the water cools," he said.
Dr. Swearingen says we can expect the most cases in August when temperatures reach their peak. He says that despite the cases we have seen, the infection is not very common. However, some people may be more vulnerable.
"People with diabetes, cardiovascular dysfunction or liver disease are also associated with risk factors," he said.
The mortality rate when the infection reaches the bloodstream is high, about 50%. If you experience swelling or a burning sensation on a wound after you leave the ocean, you should immediately go to an emergency room.
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