A Maryland man who contracted an infection of
a dangerous, flesh-eating bacteria in the Chesapeake Bay nearly lost his leg
and his life.
by John
Tyburski
Copyright © Daily
Digest News, KPR Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
An unseen
danger lurks beneath the surface of the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, as one
man found out recently. Rodney Donald, 66, a resident of Maryland, scraped his
leg while crabbing, swimming, and kayaking in the bay earlier in the month. His
scrape became infected with a bacteria species called Vibrio vulnificus,
which feeds on flesh and can be deadly if not treated.
Donald was
hospitalized at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., on Jul.
11, with severe swelling in his right leg. Hospital doctors ended up performing
six separate surgeries, including a skin graft, over the subsequent two weeks.
Donald was finally released last Thursday.
Eating
contaminated seafood or exposing an open wound to warm seawater can cause a
vibrio infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). Symptoms include fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal
pain, septic shock, and visible lesions or sores.
This
particular bacterium thrives in brackish water, areas where fresh and salt
water meet and mix. It prefers warmer water and grows best between May and
October. Last year, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
reported a ten-year high number of cases with the total reaching 57. The region
overall is observing a rising number of cases.
The
Chesapeake Bay Foundation found in 2009 that the increase in infections is
linked to pollution and unusually warm summer temperatures in previous years.
Last year,
the number of cases of vibrio infection in Maryland was 14. This year, six
cases have been reported to date. Across the country, roughly 95 cases occur
annually, including 85 hospitalizations and 35 deaths, according to the CDC.
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