Flesh-eating bacteria on Texas beach leaves man fighting for his life

Jul 21 2007

A man who caught a flesh-eating bacteria after swimming off a Texas beach is now fighting for his life.

The 58-year-old retiree is a diabetic and it is thought an ulcer on his lower leg became infected from the sea water off the coast of Galveston.

Steve Gilpatrick went swimming while on holiday in early July at Crystal Beach, when the ulcer had apparently almost healed; his leg became infected three days later and he developed a high fever and was taken to hospital.

It appears that during his 30 minute swim he contracted the potentially fatal flesh-eating bacteria and is now in a critical condition and facing the loss of his leg.

He is also at risk of organ failure because of the necrotizing fasciitis caused by the bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus.

Though Gilpatrick spent such a short time in the water, as with at least seven of 22 cases reported to state health officials last year, that was enough time for the bacteria to do the damage to his body.

Mr. Gilpatrick who is from Nacogdoches has already undergone three operations and the infection has now spread to his bloodstream.

It is reported that all the skin has been removed from his right leg, which now may have to be amputated.

The doctors at John Sealy Hospital believe he has Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that kills tissues and cells as it spreads, which enters the body through an open wound.

In order to prevent infections after swimming doctors recommended spraying rubbing alcohol on open wounds immediately.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as those that cause cholera which normally lives in warm seawater.

Vibrio vulnificus can cause disease in those who eat contaminated seafood or have an open wound that is exposed to seawater and in healthy people, ingestion of Vibrio vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Particularly vulnerable are those with compromised immune systems and those with chronic liver disease.

Vibrio vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock), and blistering skin lesions.

The CDC says bloodstream infections are fatal in about 50 percent of cases.