On Sept. 11, Michael Funk was healthy and well, cleaning crab pots in the resort town of Ocean City in Maryland. Four days later, however, he was dead after a flesh-eating bacteria entered a wound in his body.
The bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus is commonly found in brackish, warm waters with low salinity such as those ideal for oysters and shellfish. This pathogen can be contracted by eating raw or undercooked food or through exposure of a wound to seawater.
In Funk's case, the bacteria, which lurked in Assawoman Bay, entered through a cut in his body. The flesh-eating bacteria came in contact with a cut on Funk's leg, causing him to feel ill within hours.
Funk's condition became worse and the infection spread rapidly. In just a matter of days, the man suffered from ulcerated and full lesions in a condition that Funk's wife Marcia described as "like something out of a horror movie."
Funk was sent to the hospital, where doctors immediately diagnosed his condition as Vibrio. A surgeon removed infected skin from his leg but this did not help. He was also flown to a shock trauma hospital where doctors amputated his leg but the effort did not save him as the bacteria was already in his bloodstream. On Sept.15, four days after contracting the bacteria, Funk died.
"It was very fast-moving," said Marcia. "He was in so much pain."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend those with cuts and scrapes to avoid cloudy and warm water to avoid Vibrio infection.
"If you have a wound (including cuts and scrapes), avoid contact with brackish or salt water or cover the wound with a waterproof bandage if there's a possibility it could come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood or raw seafood juices," the CDC said.
Marcia, however, said that her husband's death is compounded by what she described as lack of information about the bacteria in Ocean City.
"I really feel they kept it quiet because it's a tourist resort," she said.
Ocean City spokeswoman Jessica Waters said that Vibrio has not been part of their awareness efforts although Vibrio is not new in the area. An outbreak of the bacteria in the Chesapeake Bay in 2014 has prompted officials to issue a warning against vibriosis infections.
Most of Vibrio infections happen between May and October when waters are warmer.
