{"id":288099,"date":"2023-09-05T14:19:20","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T18:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=288099"},"modified":"2023-09-05T14:19:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T18:19:20","slug":"flesh-eating-bacteria-lurking-in-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/styles-trends\/healthy-life\/flesh-eating-bacteria-lurking-in-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Flesh-eating bacteria lurking in the sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five people have died this year in the Tampa Bay area from <\/span>\u201cflesh-eating bacteria.\u201d<\/span><\/a> The pathogen, known as <\/span>Vibrio vulnificus<\/span><\/i>, is found naturally in warm, brackish seawater. So far in 2023, a total of 25 cases have been reported in the state of Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the infection is rare, it is especially dangerous for those who have open wounds or eat raw shellfish, such as oysters. The bacteria can be fatal in 50% of cases if it enters the bloodstream. To prevent infections by this microorganism it is recommended to avoid the sea if there are cuts in the skin, to cook shellfish properly, and wear protective clothing when handling them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vibrio vulnificus<\/span><\/i> is a bacillus that belongs to the genus Vibrio, the same as <\/span>Vibrio cholerae<\/span><\/i>, the causative agent of cholera, to which we recently dedicated <\/span>an article<\/span><\/a>. It is a bacteria that can survive in environments without oxygen, is rod-shaped and withstands high alkalinities. It is especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems such as diabetics, steroid users, cancer patients…<\/span><\/p>\n

This pathogen can cause three manifestations. The first, when contaminated food is ingested, where gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever may appear. Second, the most serious, when the bacteria is able to reach the blood and is clinically characterized by the presence of fever, chills, decreased blood pressure, and, in severe cases, septic shock. This manifestation has a close to 50% mortality. Finally, when it infects open wounds, it is capable of generating soft tissue infections, which can potentially be disfiguring and, in many cases, fatal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flesh-eating bacteria?<\/b><\/p>\n

When you read the term \u201cflesh-eating bacteria,\u201d you picture a germ that literally feeds on human flesh. Does that really happen? No, <\/span>Vibrio vulnificus<\/span><\/i> and other bacteria do not eat flesh. However, they produce a manifestation that may lead one to think that they do.<\/span><\/p>\n

These are the so-called <\/span>necrotizing soft tissue infections<\/span><\/a>. These manifestations are characterized by appearing in the extremities and the perineal region. It is important to remember that the perineum is the part of the body that gives rise to the pelvic floor, where the anus and external genital organs are located. It is made up of muscles and ligaments that simulate the shape of a diamond.<\/span><\/p>\n

When a bacterial infection occurs in these areas, both due to the effect of toxins and other complex mechanisms, occlusion of the small blood vessels that go under the skin and subcutaneous tissue occurs. This occlusion causes heart attacks and necrosis (death) of these tissues. This, in turn, facilitates the growth of these bacteria, which are capable of living in anaerobic conditions, that is, without oxygen, permanently or not, as is the case with <\/span>V. vulnificus<\/span><\/i>. A vicious circle is then established in which more toxins are produced, more blood vessels are occluded, more tissue is necrotic (dying) and it gives the impression that the bacteria are \u201ceating the flesh,\u201d because all that dead or damaged tissue has to be removed (cut) surgically. Otherwise, almost certainly, it would cause the death of the patient.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brief history of necrotizing soft tissue infections<\/b><\/p>\n

The first description of this type of disease dates back to the 5th century BC, and was recorded by <\/span>Hippocrates<\/span><\/a>. Then, in 1871, the military surgeon Joseph Jones, during the American Civil War, made a detailed reference to the disease, which affected 2,642 soldiers with a close to 50% mortality, calling it \u201chospital gangrene,\u201d as opposed to a classic manifestation called \u201cgas gangrene,\u201d which is characterized by the presence of gases in the necrotic area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Later, in 1883, A. Fournier, a French doctor specializing in sexually transmitted diseases, published a detailed description of the necrotizing infection of the perineal region, which is currently known, in honor of this doctor, as \u201cFournier\u2019s gangrene.\u201d It was not until 1924 that the surgeon Frank L. Meleney established that the causal germ of most cases was Streptococcus, after isolating the bacteria in the blood culture of 20 patients in Beijing, coining the name \u201cacute hemolytic streptococcal gangrene.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite better knowledge of this disease and the availability of more efficient therapeutic tools, mortality from these conditions has hardly changed in recent years. But what structures are involved in this manifestation? Why are they called soft tissue infections? What are those \u201csoft tissues\u201d? What germs are involved?<\/span><\/p>\n

Necrotizing soft tissue infections<\/b><\/p>\n

Before continuing, we must stop and explain a little about what is meant by soft tissues and what are the structures that compose them. In this case, we are talking about the deepest layers of the skin and an important and little-known structure called the muscular fascia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The skin is made up of three layers:<\/span><\/p>\n