Scott Lewis
2/28/2013
Dr. Satre
BIO 251
Necrotizing Fasciitis One of the most common skin infections known are bacterial infections; they have a wide range of severity, from merely annoying to deadly. Most bacterial skin infections are caused by two bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus and a form of Streptococcus. In the case of Necrotizing Fasciitis, bacteria are usually the cause. Some of the bacteria that have been found to cause this infection include group A Streptococcus, which is group A strep, Klebsiella, Clostridium, E. Coli, Staphylococcus areus, and Aeromonas hydrophila. Because of its effect on skin, Necrotizing Fasciitis is sometimes called flesh-eating bacteria. This infection is very rare but also very serious; about 1 out of 4 people who come in contact with this infection die from it. It is important to always clean wounds and cover them after getting them because the most common way of getting Necrotizing Fasciitis is when the bacteria enter the body through a break in the skin such as a cut, scrape, burn, insect bite, or puncture wound. Symptoms may develop quickly, sometimes as soon as 24 hours after a minor skin injury. The rapid onset of symptoms that occurs is a very important clue that you may need to seek medical attention. It is more likely for people to be affected by this bacterial infection who have other health problems that may lower the body’s ability to fight infection. Many chronic health conditions that weaken the body’s immune system include: diabetes, kidney disease, or cancer. Some of the most common early symptoms start with severe pain in the infected area. This is followed by nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever and flu-like symptoms. This is followed by fluid-filled blister with redness of the skin all around the infected area along with heat and swelling. More sever later symptoms may include shock such as confusion or dizziness which can be a cause of drop in blood pressure. This will later be followed by more severe symptoms and can be life threatening. Such as, scaling, peeling, and discolored skin which implies tissue death. Time is of the essence when it comes to treatment. If the skin infection is caught early by a doctor the infection can be treated by antibiotic. Surgery is often needed to drain the puss and remove the dead skin. If the dead skin is not removed then the infection will continue to spread and the body part may need to be amputated. Doctors will also perform a skin graft after the infection is treated. This will allow the area that was infected to heal and look better. Unfortunately the skin infection is so rare that the doctors rarely discover it in time to prevent amputation or even death. This is one of the reasons 1 in 4 that become infected will die. In Georgia there was a case of this rare infection called necrotizing fasciitis. A 24-year-old lady cut open her right leg by falling from a broken zip-line along the Tallapoosa River. She received 22 stitches and said she sensed something was wrong a few days after. She had pain from her calf and went up to her thigh. She was in and out of the emergency room and her wound wouldn’t heal. The bacteria went undetected until her leg turned dark purple color and she wasn’t able to walk or talk. The doctors finally diagnosed her with necrotizing fasciitis and her leg was amputated from her hip. She had to have both of her hands amputated during the two months in the hospital before the infection was gone. The type of bacteria that triggered her infection was Aeromonas hydrophila. This bacteria thrives in warm climates and fresh water like the Tallapoosa River. This common germ rarely causes flesh-eating disease, but when it does the infection has a fatality rate upward of 60 percent. It is amazing the she only lost her leg and hands to this infection, with fatality rates so high. This is example of how life threating this bacterial is and how important it is to diagnosed as soon as possible.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002415/

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http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/51/1/58.full