Spanish Man Almost Loses Leg to Rare Flesh-Eating Bacteria: Third Reported Case with Multiple Lesions

In Spain, a man who got infected with flesh-eating bacteria in his right leg discovered that the disease had also spread to his left leg after four days.

Unusual Case of Flesh-Rotting Bacterial Infection

The strange condition of a 58-year-old man started when he experienced pain and swelling in his right leg, followed by chest pain and fever. He was taken to the University Hospital Gregorio Marañon in Madrid and was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a kind of flesh-eating bacterial infection which damages the body's soft tissue including connective tissue, fat, and muscle.

This case is a rare event for several reasons. The man's wound was found to contain Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This is the first documented record of such species involved in causing necrotizing fasciitis.

Aside from this, it is also the third time that the infection appeared in multiple sites over the course of several days. Most of the documented cases of multifocal necrotizing fasciitis involve injuries which appear synchronously within hours following the first diagnosis.

The man got initial treatment for his right leg using intravenous antibiotics. He also underwent a limb-saving procedure called fasciotomy where tension or pressure is relieved to treat specific areas of the muscle.

After conducting fasciotomy, the doctors also performed aggressive and repeated debridement which involves the removal of dead, infected, or damaged tissue. This early multidisciplinary procedure is necessary in preventing the development of metachronous lesions.

However, the same strains of bacteria infected his other leg and required another operation. Rising signs on the left limb appeared four days later. As a result, the experts had to perform another fasciotomy and had to isolate the same species of bacteria.

Fortunately, the man survived both procedures and recovered fully after the treatment. He was discharged a month after being admitted to the hospital without showing follow-up complications.

In 2022, a man from Louisiana also got infected with a type of flesh-eating bacteria while crabbing in ankle-deep water in Cameron Parish. He did not stay long in the water and took only a couple of hours at the most. However, he experienced the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis after two days and was immediately treated in hospital.

What Is Necrotizing Fasciitis?

Necrotizing fasciitis refers to a rare bacterial infection which can spread quickly in the body and can cause death. It is caused by several bacterial species, although it is most commonly triggered by group A Streptococcus. The other bacteria often attributed to this condition is Vibrio vulnificus, a water-dwelling microorganism that enters the body through skin cuts.

In necrotizing fasciitis, the superficial fascia, the layer of connective tissue below the skin, is infected by flesh-eating bacteria. Tissue death is observed at the infection site and in the other parts of the body.

According to WebMD, around 600 to 700 persons in the U.S. are diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis every year. Of these cases, about 25% to 30% of them result in death. Once the infection starts to spread, it can be stopped through rapid antibiotic treatment and prompt surgery.