CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (RNN) - An unidentified person died of a flesh-eating bacteria infection, health officials reported on Tuesday.
The patient, who officials described as elderly, developed the vibrio vulnificus infection after wade fishing with skin wounds.
The person came to the hospital with the classic signs of a bacterial infection to one of their legs, including severe leg pain.
Despite life-saving measures, including amputating the affected leg, health professionals couldn't save the patient's life, and the person died within 24 to 36 hours of hospitalization.
Vibrio occurs naturally in brackish bodies of water with oysters, and is more plentiful between May and October, when the water is warmer.
The bacteria can also be ingested, causing watery diarrhea, often accompanied by abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Older people and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to getting severe complications to vibrio infections.
The CDC said populations at risk for serious vibrio complications include:
- people who have liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia;
- those who receive immune-suppressing therapy for the treatment of disease;
- those who take medicine to decrease stomach acid levels and people;
- and people who have had recent stomach surgery.
Every year, about 80,000 people become sick with vibriosis, and 100 people die from the infection in the U.S., the CDC said.
Earlier this year, an Indiana woman died after contracting flesh-eating bacteria during a Florida vacation, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
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