Flesh Eating Bacteria - streptococcus

You may have heard about a "flesh eating disease" on Oprah. I heard about it via word of mouth (wom) and decided to share with you some of the horrific information gathered.

Necrotizing Fasciitis is the term for a bacterial infection that can literally eat at the tissues in your body. Most common types of Necrotizing Fasciitis are due to Group A Streptococcal bacteria (also known as GAS), the most common being the Streptococcus pyogenes. It is very scary to think that around 30% of people with Necrotizing Fasciitis die from the disease... and even scarier once you know that most people who acquire the disease were perfectly healthy prior to infection. 

(acquired from: http://images.oprah.com/images/tows/200904/20090410/20090410-tows-monica-290x218.jpg)

The above picture is of Monica Jorge, a recent guest on Oprah. She is a wife and mother of two children and was recently diagnosed with Necrotizing Fasciitis, after being perfectly healthy. According to sources, she cut her hand open by mistake with a sharp instrument. Just hours after the cut, she immediately began to feel "strange" and felt a strong headache. With in two days she was admitted to hospital, and had no choice but to have amputation surgeries performed, due to the exponential amount of flesh being attacked and killed. She has since lost her limbs, but her strong will has kept her strong throughout. In a letter to Oprah after the show: "Thank you for reminding me to have gratitude for what I have instead of sorrow for what I don't"

More on Streptococcal bacteria:

• The Goup A Streptococci are the same bacteria that are often located in the throat, and can be completely harmless. 
• "Strep throat" is what we call this infection.
• Infection may be obtained through direct contact from another infected, or via an open wound. In rare cases, it can even occur even if the skin has not been broken.
• Although strep throat is common, Necrotizing Fasciitis is rare.
• GAS symptoms may range from no symptoms whatsoever to life threatening symptoms (NF etc.)
• "About 9,000-11,500 cases of invasive GAS disease occur each year in the United States, resulting in 1,000-1,800 deaths annually" (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/Groupastreptococcal_g.htm)
• For more info: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/necrotizing-fasciitis-flesh-eating-bacteria-topic-overview 
• http://www.menshealth.com