NJ Residents Worry About Flesh-Eating Bacteria [AUDIO]

The threat of contracting a flesh-eating bacteria disease seems to be growing.

It's usually caused by a strep germ, but Middlesex County Infectious disease expert Dr. Ted Louie says another bacteria - aeromonas - can be found in fresh water lakes and streams.  And while it typically does not cause disease, the bacteria can penetrate into the body because of a flesh wound, even a small one.

"You would have to have some opening in your skin for the bacteria to go inside and cause a problem…but you'd typically have to have some kind of wound or cut- and you have to have the right concentration of bacteria go inside.  And then it would have to be - your immune system doesn't handle it."

He says, "If you're unlucky enough to get a strain that secretes a lot of toxins that destroy your tissue, then you may get this situation, where you get a terrible wound and it keeps destroying more of your tissue.  If it's a very virulent strain, then you can get wide-spread tissue destruction, and you can get what we call septic shock,  where the body is completely overwhelmed with infection.  Perhaps your blood pressure goes down, perhaps multiple organs are affected…and whatever dead tissue- whatever destroyed tissue is there, then the surgeon would have to go in and clean it out - cut off the infected parts."

Dr. Louie adds it's a rare condition but "certainly people have to be very cautious about going into a lake or stream if they have any surface cuts or any injuries that cause broken skin.  And if they have an injury in the water, if there's a boating accident or a fishing accident where they catch themselves with a fish hook, they have to be extremely careful about cleansing the area - using alcohol antiseptic solution - and watching that area to make sure no infection develops."