A rare flesh-eating bug has claimed the life of one man and left two others seriously ill. The victims, aged 47, 65 and 81, are believed to have contracted the gruesome disease in different ways, but all exhibited the same symptoms. The first patient, a 65 year old man, was diagnosed with streptococcus pyogenes after being rushed to hospital when his left eyelid started swelling, accompanied by vomiting and nausea. His eye also displayed signs of hypothermia and blood secretion without pus.
A swab was taken and he was kept in hospital for treatment with antibiotics.
However, while on medication, his temperature soared and he began developing white lesions around his eye overnight. Surgeons discovered necrotic [dead] tissue around his eye, nose and neck during an emergency operation.
Tragically, he succumbed within two weeks due to a multi-drug resistant bacteria.
The second victim, a 47 year old man, also arrived at the hospital with a swollen left eyelid following a head injury the previous day. Fortunately, after several surgical procedures, doctors managed to remove all the necrotic tissue.
He was declared free of the disease a week later.
The third case involved an 81 year old man who experienced sudden swelling and discolouration of his left eyelid.
After successful removal of all dead tissue, the patient was able to leave the hospital without any significant disfigurement and with good lid function.
The uncommon flesh-devouring condition is identified as periorbital necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI), and is triggered by either polymicrobial infection (type 1) or streptococcus pyogenes and/or staphylococcus species (type 2). The three instances were documented in a medical journal earlier this year.
“Based on the negative experience with our first case, we developed a more aggressive surgical plan for cases with periorbital NSTI,” an excerpt from the report penned by lead author Isabella D. Baur from the University Eye Clinic Augsburg in Germany reads.
“After early debridement, the patient is surgically reevaluated on a daily basis until surgery is deemed to have been unnecessary. We follow this approach, as necrotic tissue is sometimes identified intraoperatively from a lack of resistance to manipulation rather than from its clinical aspect alone. At a later point, plastic surgery may be required when the infection is under control.”
This revelation follows a woman’s candid account of the moment “alarm bells” started ringing prior to her receiving a heartbreaking diagnosis. Marsailidh Groat, hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, was merely 12 when she sensed something was amiss.
She began experiencing severe headaches which seemed to intensify when she sneezed, coughed or laughed. Following a brain scan, she was diagnosed with a rare condition known as chiari malformation.