Blisters are usually not something you’d call 911 for. If they occur on your feet, in most cases, they’re a direct result of wearing uncomfortable shoes.
Sometimes a blister may be the result of a foot injury, but what if we told you that it could also be the work of a flesh-eating bacteria? If so, you might need to have your foot amputated in order to stop it from spreading to the other areas of your body – and possibly resulting in death.
What’s It All About?
The condition caused by flesh-eating bacteria is medically referred to as necrotizing fasciitis. It’s an infection by a bacteria that destroys the skin, the fat, and the tissue that covers your muscles. Mind you, it does occur very rapidly, so if you’re infected, you need to act fast. Luckily, the condition is very rare, but every fourth infected person ends up dying from it.
Causes
The first thing that comes to mind is what actually causes this beast of a bacterial infection. It’s caused by a number of bacteria, such as Aeromonashydrophila, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella, or Escherichia coli – many of them are common bacteria that normally give rise to minorsymptoms, if any.
Treatment
For any case of flesh-eating bacteria, the process of treatment is critical. If diagnosed early enough, necrotizing fasciitis can be treated with antibiotics. Most cases require some sort of surgery to remove the infected tissue. Usually, the process involves several surgeries. Severe cases of flesh-eating bacteria commonly call for amputation of limbs so that a patient’s life can be saved. Sometimes the condition may cause further complications which need to be treated independently.
Next time you notice a blister on your foot, make sure it isn’t the dangerous flesh-eating bacteria.
