LIHUE, Kauai — Three unrelated cases of flesh-eating bacteria have been reported on Kauai. LIHUE, Kauai — Three unrelated cases of flesh-eating bacteria have been reported on Kauai. ADVERTISING The cases of the rare and sometimes deadly infection called necrotizing
LIHUE, Kauai — Three unrelated cases of flesh-eating bacteria have been reported on Kauai.
The cases of the rare and sometimes deadly infection called necrotizing fasciitis have been reported to the state Department of Health, spokeswoman Janice Okubo told the Garden Island on Monday.
A third case had previously not been diagnosed but has since been deemed “clinically compatible” with necrotizing fasciitis, she said.
The bacterial infection attacks the skin, fat and fascia, the membrane covering muscle. Microbes can enter the body through a cut, abrasion or bruise. Necrotizing fasciitis is caused by Group A streptococcus, a form of bacteria that can destroy skin tissue.
Janice Bond said her 49-year-old son, John Stem, likely contracted it when an existing scratch on his leg got infected while climbing in small spaces for his job with a pest control company. Stem was found unconscious in his Lihue home on March 10 and has undergone several surgeries.
“It’s not over,” Bond said. “It’s going to be very costly, but he’s alive.”
Two other Kauai cases have since been reported. Officials say one acquired it from a single bacterium, the second got it from multiple bacteria, and third contracted it from a strep and mixed bacterial infection.
Wound care, good hygiene and hand-washing are important for prevention, said Joe Elm, a biologist and epidemiological specialist with the state Department of Health. A physician must be seen if a wound results in fever, pain and other signs it isn’t healing, he said.
