Woman Contracts Flesh-Eating Bacteria from Injury in the Gulf of Mexico

By THC Staff | June 1, 2016

 

Kelly Kohen Blomberg recently came forward to warn beach-goers if the flesh-eating bacteria she contracted after a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.

Health officials have released a warning to those visiting the Gulf of Mexico in the coming weeks after Blomberg’s terrible experience. As KMBC reported, “she contracted the bacteria when she was beach surf fishing on May 12 in the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle, Louisiana.” She moved her foot and something took a bite out of it, leading to a trip to the hospital and a dose of antibiotics.

However now, she has a wide wound on her foot from the bacteria and “has undergone surgery to remove the dead tissue and get a skin graft.” The official name of the bacteria is vibrio vulnificus and it can be contracted through an open wound coming into contact with the saltwater in the Gulf, specifically near Louisiana.

The spread of the bacteria most often happens “within four to six hours and includes redness, swelling, and high fever.” While some cases are mild, if people suffer from “weak immune systems, high amounts of iron in their body, or liver disease”, the disease can be much more serious.