What is flesh-eating bacteria?

Flesh-eating bacteria are any kind of bacteria that can cause the flesh to break down severely. Necrotizing fasciitis is a term that refers to the condition that develops when a person has become infected with a flesh-eating bacteria.

Medicine Net says that these infections are usually located in connective tissue. These infections can spread quickly, and can cause tissues to die. Though necrotizing fasciitis is rare, it is serious and can be fatal. 

The connective tissue usually affected by this condition are called fascial planes, and are located around muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. They are present in almost every area of the body.

Necrotizing fasciitis is referred to as a “flesh eating disease” or described as being caused by a “flesh eating bacteria” because it can infect and kill human tissue at an alarming rate.

What causes an infection by flesh-eating bacteria?

A range of bacteria can cause necrotizing fasciitis. In the cases of some patients, a combination of bacteria have been found to be present. Medicine Net says that some experts believe that this combination of bacteria can occur when one bacteria causes an infection, leaving the body vulnerable to more bacteria which then worsen the infection.

Necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by a range of bacterias, most of which fall into the group A Streptococcus. One type of bacteria that has made headlines for causing necrotizing fasciitis is Vibrio vulnifucus, home to coastal waters. Strep throat is also caused by a bacteria in the A Streptococcus family, says Web MD. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do note that necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by a range of factors that allow bacteria to enter the skin. Flesh-eating disease causes can include instances in which the skin is broken or weakened through cuts and scrapes, burns, insect bites, puncture wounds (including those caused by medical needles), and surgical wounds. 

Web MD elaborates on this possible connection between infected water and flesh-eating bacteria, noting that a patient can contract a flesh-eating bacteria not only through an open wound but also by eating raw or undercooked oyster that have the virus.

Those who already have a weakened immune systems are more vulnerable than most people to becoming infected with a flesh-eating bacteria. These patients may include those patients with diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and cancer, says NBC News. Patients with these conditions and others may be more susceptible because their immune systems are less able to fight off the bacteria. These patients also tend to do less well than most people when they do contract it, and are more likely to become seriously ill or die from the condition.

The FDA also warns that some drugs may leave people more vulnerable to flesh-eating bacteria. Diabetes drugs in a class of drugs called sodium-glucose cotransporter-2, or SGLT2 inhibitors, may pose an increased risk for becoming infected with a flesh-eating bacteria — in the case of these drugs, the infection can occur in the genitals, known as Fournier’s Gangrene. Drugs like Invokamet and Invokamet XR are two drugs in this class of medications.

SGLT2 inhibitor drugs help to treat diabetes by lowering a patient’s blood sugar, by causing excess sugar to be expelled in the urine. However, the excess sugar in the urine leads to a higher presence of sugar in and around the person’s genitals. Sugar feeds bacteria, and the presence of a lot of it can promote bacterial growth, including growth of a flesh-eating bacteria in the genitals.

In 2019, around 55 individuals taking SGLT2 inhibitors were noted by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) to have contracted Fournier’s gangrene while undergoing treatment of type-2 diabetes. SGLT2 inhibitor drugs, due to these possible side effects, are supposed to have a warning in their prescribing information.

What are the symptoms of a flesh-eating bacteria infection?

An infection from flesh-eating bacteria is particularly dangerous because, at the outset, it may seem like a much less serious condition. However, necrotizing fasciitis is a medical emergency, and the symptoms worsen quickly.

Some initial symptoms of the flesh-eating bacteria include:

• changes in the color of the skin
• redness or tenderness
• a red or swollen area of skin that gets larger
• severe pain beyond the affected area
• fever

As the condition worsens, the following symptoms may develop:

• fatigue
• diarrhea or nausea
• pus or oozing from the infected area
• ulcers, blisters, or black spots on the skin

Part of what makes a necrotizing fasciitis infection so dangerous is that it can worsen quickly, putting patients at extreme risk.

Treatment of Necrotizing Fasciitis

If caught early, the infection can often be treated with antibiotics. However, some patients may not go to the doctor quickly enough, because symptoms can start mildly.

If a patient does not get to the doctor soon enough, surgery may be required to remove the infected areas. In its severe stages, necrotizing fasciitis may cause sepsis, shock, and organ failure. Surgery may be necessary to remove the affected areas. Those who survive may face life-long complications. 

Unfortunately, around 25 to 30 percent of people who contract the condition die from it, even if they are able to receive treatment. Happily, the disease is quite rare, affecting only around 205 people in the United States each year.

Join a Free Diabetes Medications & Flesh-Eating Infection Lawsuit Investigation

The type-2 diabetes medications linked to the flesh-eating infection include:

• Invokana
• Invokamet/Invokamet XR
• Farxiga
• Xigduo XR
• Qtern
• Jardiance
• Glyxambi
• Synjardy/Synjardy XR
• Steglato
• Segluromet
• Steglujan

If you or a loved one took one of the type-2 diabetes medications listed above and suffered from a flesh-eating genital infection, you may qualify to join this diabetes medication lawsuit investigation. Fill out the FREE form on this page for more information.

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