he was about to lose his leg

An appointment with his family that risks ending in tragedy. The incredible story comes from Florida, where Donnie Adams, a 52-year-old man, almost died from a bite from a relative after an argument. But how was this possible? A necrotizing fasciitis, a life-threatening infection known as “flesh-eating disease” or “carnivorous disease” as it causes a very dangerous necrosis of the tissues that are involved.

Donnie Adams and the flesh-eating disease

An article in the Tampa Bay Times recounts the nightmare of Donnie Adams: On February 14 of this year, he went to the emergency room of HCA Florida Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg to get a tetanus shot and antibiotics when the first symptoms appeared. A relative, following a quarrel, bit him. It’s not clear whether the bacteria was already in his family member’s mouth or whether the wound only became infected later. Streptococcus pyogenes is a very common pathogen and is responsible for, among other things, even a simple sore throat.

Only rarely can it penetrate the subcutaneous tissue and cause necrotic disease. Three days after arriving at the hospital, his condition worsened and he underwent emergency surgery by Dr. Fritz Brink’s team, which saved his life (and leg). The necrotizing fasciitis was indeed rotting the soft tissue between the knee and groin. “A human bite is dirtier than a dog bite in terms of the types of bacteria involved. Normal bacteria in an abnormal spot can be a real problem,” Dr. Brink told the Tampa Bay Time.

Read the full article
in Il Gazzettino