How Flesh-eating Bacteria Works

HowStuffWorks "How Flesh-eating Bacteria Works"

What is necrotizing fasciitis anyway? How can it take you from a small paper cut to potential death? Read on to learn about how flesh-eating bacteria work, what symptoms to be on the lookout for and the actions you can take to protect yourself.

Proper Wound Care

Proper wound care helps the healing process and keeps bacteria at bay. Follow these easy steps:

1. Flush the wound with cool water.
2. Clean the area around the wound with soap and a soft cloth. Do not get soap inside the wound.
3. Using clean tweezers (dip/ wipe the tweezers with rubbing alcohol) try to remove any additional debris that washing didn't clear from the wound site.
4. Apply a bandage if the wound is in an area that is easily exposed to dirt or can be irritated by anything. If you're uncertain if a bandage is needed, talk to your doctor. Some wounds heal better covered, while others do better uncovered.
5. Apply antibiotic ointment to avoid infection, help the wound close up and prevent scarring.

Flesh-eating Bacteria Basics
When it comes to necrotizing fasciitis (aka flesh-eating bacteria), the disease is a case of something that is usually quite mild becoming a dangerous infection. In fact, one of the most common types of flesh-eating bacteria is group A Streptococcus (Strep A), the same bacteria responsible for strep throat. Furthermore, about 15 to 30 percent of us are walking around as carriers of Strep A right now [source: National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation].

A person contracts flesh-eating bacteria -- a very rare illness -- when that same Strep A, or other bacteria, enters his or her body, be it through an open wound, an intestinal surgery site or even a bruise or muscle strain. The bacteria can be passed via person-to-person contact, but is unlikely to develop into flesh-eating bacteria without that open wound. Once they enter your body, the bacteria quickly go to work killing the skin, tissue and fat in their way, leading to ultimate organ failure and possible death [source: WebMD].

In fact, flesh-eating bacteria work so quickly that early treatment is imperative to survival. Immediate treatment includes administration of high doses of antibiotics, such as penicillin and clindamycin, to fight the infection, removal of the damaged and dying flesh to impede the spread of the bacteria and treatment of any toxic shock symptoms as the body starts to shut down [source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention].

So if it is true that flesh-eating bacteria move so quickly that something can go from being a minor spot on your leg to involving that entire leg in fewer than thirty minutes, it must be easy to watch for signs of and diagnose the condition, right? Wrong. Keep in mind that there are only about 500 cases of flesh-eating bacteria a year, and the illness is quite unpredictable as to when it will develop and where [source: Owings]. As such, to date, the best way to diagnose this predator-like condition is through watching for the sudden onset of symptoms, examining tissue and running tests to look at the condition of a patient's organs [source: WebMD].

Besides a formal medical diagnosis, what symptoms can we look out for ourselves? And how fast do they spread? Keep reading to get the full details on the symptoms related to flesh-eating bacteria.

Cleaning bloody wound
Proper wound care is essential to keeping harmful bacteria at bay.

Unlike some illnesses, such as high blood pressure, that silently take their toll without any symptoms, flesh-eating bacteria rings the doorbell and bangs on your door upon arrival. In fact, the first sign of flesh-eating bacteria is usually pain from an injury. This may improve, but then get drastically worse, disproportionately to the type of wound. The skin can become hot, swollen and red. You may experience diarrhea, fever, chills, vomiting and nausea [source: WebMD].

And all of these symptoms will take place on an accelerated timeline. Here's how the symptom progression typically occurs:

* Within the first 24 hours: Although flesh-eating bacteria can occur almost "out of the blue" or from a bruise, usually a minor wound, such as a cut, rug burn or scratch, is the originating site of the condition. During the first 24 hours, you may experience some pain near the wound, which then increases greatly in severity. You may feel like you have the flu -- experiencing nausea, fever, weakness, diarrhea, etc.
* Just three to four days in: The area near the wound will swell and may turn into a purple rash. You may see dark marks that turn into blisters that fill with dark fluid. As time advances, you may start to see signs of the skin beginning to die as it becomes flaky, white or even dark.
* Four to five days fighting flesh-eating bacteria: As your body goes into toxic shock syndrome, meaning toxins from the bacteria are flowing through your body, your blood pressure will drop and you may become unconscious. [source: National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation]

Symptom Timeline
Now that you know what to be on the lookout for when it comes to flesh-eating bacteria, what can you do to prevent this illness? Read on to discover your risk level for contracting flesh-eating bacteria and learn some basic hygiene practices you can employ for protection.