Cannibal bacteria?

CEBU, Philippines - The death recently of a Filipino overseas foreign worker in Hong Kong presumably because of flesh-eating bacteria, medically referred to as necrotizing fasciitis, brought me wondering if this could be considered modern-day leprosy.

In a Georgia (US) case documented in May of this year, necrotizing fasciitis was described to be a "devastating disease," in which the flesh-eating bacteria can ravage the soft tissues of the body - arms, legs, nose, eyes. Similar to what lepers suffer from!

Necrotizing means dying or diseased tissue. Fasciitis is an irritation or inflammation of the fascia or the part of the layers of the skin.

There is a contention though that "flesh-eating bacteria" is a misnomer. In the pathophysiology section of the subject on en.wikipedia.org, it was underlined that bacteria do not actually eat the tissue - that they cause the destruction of skin and muscle by releasing toxins. Streptococcal pyogenic exotoxins, for example, produce an exotoxin known as a superantigen. This toxin is capable of activating T-cells causing the overproduction of cytokines and severe systemic illness (Toxic shock syndrome).

But one thing is sure despite the puzzling way the bacteria attack: Infections are more likely to occur in people with compromised immune systems.

One of the most common types of flesh-eating bacteria is group A Streptococcus (Strep A), the same bacteria responsible for strep throat.

According to WebMD, a person contracts flesh-eating bacteria (a very rare illness) when that same Strep A, or other bacteria, enters his or her body, be it through an open wound, an intestinal surgery site or even a bruise or muscle strain.

The bacteria can be passed via person-to-person contact, but is unlikely to develop into flesh-eating bacteria without that open wound. Once they enter our body, the bacteria quickly go to work killing the skin, tissue and fat in their way, leading to ultimate organ failure and possible death.

Additional info from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention read that "immediate treatment includes administration of high doses of antibiotics, such as penicillin and clindamycin," to fight the infection, removal of the damaged and dying flesh to impede the spread of the bacteria.

By the way, thanks to "Health Education in Leprosy Control" posted on webspawner.com. Below the header "Misconceptions, Misunderstandings, Superstitions," it was made clear that "though some (like me) imagine it to be a flesh-eating disease in which fingers and toes drop off, the living leprosy bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, is not causing the damage but rather the body's immune system which reacts to dead leprosy bacilli, or rather the antigens liberated by the dead and dying M. leprae."

Associating flesh-eating bacteria with leprosy springs from an old thought that the latter is once tagged as a "dreaded skin disease." But the truth is that leprosy primarily attacks the nerves - peripheral nerves in particular (nerves and ganglia outside of the brain and the spinal cord). The skin and other soft tissues are only secondarily affected.

For proper wound care to protect us from advancing of bacterial attack, FamilyDoctor.org has the following tips to share:

Proper wound care helps the healing process and keeps bacteria at bay. Follow these easy steps:

"              Flush the wound with cool water.

"              Clean the area around the wound with soap and a soft cloth. Do not get soap inside the wound.

"              Using clean tweezers (dip/wipe the tweezers with rubbing alcohol) try to remove any additional debris that washing didn't clear from the wound site.

"              Apply a bandage if the wound is in an area that is easily exposed to dirt or can be irritated by anything. If you're uncertain if a bandage is needed, talk to your doctor. Some wounds heal better covered, while others do better uncovered.

"              Apply antibiotic ointment to avoid infection, help the wound close up and prevent scarring.