Flesh Eating Bacteria in Australia? Where Else?

[JD Spydo]

A friend of mine who I share information with just sent me a video that deals with the topic of "Flesh Eating Bacteria". Apparently there is a literal outbreak of it in the country of Australia as we speak. I had heard of that type of bacteria in Canada a few years back and it seems to be a real mystery as to how it develops. I'm hoping the Brother "BLOKE" will chime in on this one.

With the recent outbreak of COVID-19 as well as other health problems being on the rise it's making me wonder what is going on with all the current health crisis?? If any of you that work in the medical field can shed some light on this outbreak of "Flesh Eating Bacteria" I know that most of us here would love to learn about it. However you don't have to be a health care professional to weigh in on this discussion>> that is if you have valid information.

This flesh eating bacteria has caused amputations and even death in some cases. Not to mention it seems to spread very rapidly as well. Prevention is always your best game plan. It is spooky that so many extreme health problems have arisen in this year 2020???

[RustyIron]

Nothing new. Been around forever.

Google will help you learn about it.

[JD Spydo]

Nothing new. Been around forever.

Google will help you learn about it.

Yeah I realize it's been a problem before. The last time I had heard of it was up in Canada I think about 8 to 10 years ago. But what puzzles me about this present epidemic of it is that it's getting to be a real significant problem in Australia. And like I said earlier it seems like this year "2020" it's just been one huge problem after another. I don't ever remember any year being like this one at all when it comes to health concerns.

Also I don't ever recall it being at this proportion in the USA or any other industrialized country.

[VooDooChild]

In the south in the US, we get a handful of cases of vibrio vulnificus cases leading to flesh eating bacteria every year.

But I just read the rather lengthy article on theatlantic website and this buruli version seems to be completely different.
God I hope mechanical transmission through mosquitos has a very low percentage of success. If those **** things can easily spread this then theres not much you can do.

From the article it just seems like we still dont know enough about it other than it happens to be in the environment.

[James Y]

I’ve heard of cases of that happening here and there in the States for many years. I’ve heard it sometimes happening in sports like amateur wrestling, where there is a lot of physical contact and friction with mats, etc., that can cause abraded/broken skin and infection. I’ve heard it’s also happened to at least one or two ‘TV/pro wrestlers’, and at least one MMA fighter I’m aware of. IIRC, some guy here locally got it just from skinning his knee in his own back yard.

Jim

[JD Spydo]

It just seems to me that we have gotten a vast amount of health issues in this year of 2020. Oh I know we get a lot of different health maladies each year but this year seems like it's something new everyday.

The weather was really weird here where I live in the past 5 months and most people were about 6 weeks late putting out their gardens. I don't ever remember that happening in my lifetime. I don't ever remember any epidemic, pandemic or any other threat to our health putting the public in as much fear as this year 2020 has produced>> and we have 5 more months left

And on top of that it seems to be global as well. :confused:

[Mike Blue]

JD read about the syndrome: necrotizing fasciitis. It's not merely the bug that causes the problem, it's the risk factors that make a human susceptible. We live in a microbiological world. In fact, our bodies can be discussed as the cruise ships of the bacterial, fungal world. About 40% of the weight of any human being on average, is not human.

The most common bacteria involved in Nec Fasc, is MRSA. Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus. BUT, it's relatively easy to kill if it is Community acquired rather than Hospital acquired MRSA. The stuff that grows in the hospital carpet is more dangerous than from outside the hospital, like your garden.

Medicine has been getting good at keeping people alive with conditions that can predispose them to making it easier for this bug to take hold. Like immunosuppression for the treatment of several diseases, cancer etc. And diabetes. Being saturated with uncontrolled sugar is not helpful.

Control your health conditions that make it easier to catch these infections, like your immune system and diabetes. Same as the Covid19 instructions. Take care of cuts and scrapes with simple soap and water and home antibiotics. If you spend a lot of time in health care institutions, think about being tested for MRSA. It's a simple nasal swab. Treatment is a matter of putting some ointment in your nose for a week or so.

There is nothing to panic over.

[RustyIron]

There is nothing to panic over.

Thank you, kind sir.

[Naperville]

The only time that I heard of anyone contracting necrotizing fasciitis is after they came in to contact with a Zip Line. Zip Line accidents have been known to spread MRSA too.

Aimee Copeland did not get necrotizing fasciitis from a zip line, but nonetheless got it while zip lining after falling.

https://news.co.cr/zip-line-adventures- ... eria/6552/

[SpyderGrill]

There was an old guy who scraped his leg on a nail or something wading in flood water after hurricane Irma. I think they amputaded his leg and he still died.

Another guy was fishing and got stuck with a fishing hook in his hand. They amputated his arm and he lived.

I have heard several cases of people visiting beaches here and getting it during the hot months. Dont go into the water with a scratch or open wound. Hard to believe it can live in salt water.

I have in the past, not let my kids go to the beach for this reason.

Another weird thing is that brain eating amoeba. When I was a kid I was splashing around in the creek or flood waters all the time. Swam in dirty lakes and ponds. Today kids cant do that stuff. Me and a friend used to drink right out of the creek! God knows what was in that water.

[Mike Blue]

Aeromonas is not nearly as common in tissue infections, with increased risk due to exposure to a water source contaminated with the bacteria. MRSA on the whole remains far more common. There are relative seasons (warm weather) and locations around the world where Aeromonas is more likely to be found. A wound that passes through multiple layers of flesh is more concerning for this type of infection.

It is easily treated with ciprofloxin either as oral tablets or IV fluids. This is a common medication worldwide. There are other factors not discussed in the newspaper article about this young woman, undoubtedly.

As a syndrome necrotizing fasciitis can progress quickly to seriously negative outcomes. If you suspect you have a rapidly progressing infection go straight to the ER. Do not wait to overthink the problem.

[JD Spydo]

There was an old guy who scraped his leg on a nail or something wading in flood water after hurricane Irma. I think they amputaded his leg and he still died.

Another weird thing is that brain eating amoeba. When I was a kid I was splashing around in the creek or flood waters all the time. Swam in dirty lakes and ponds. Today kids cant do that stuff. Me and a friend used to drink right out of the creek! God knows what was in that water.

You brought up two excellent points to consider>> First off most people have no idea just how potentially dangerous that flood water can be. We had a super-flood here in the KC area back in 1993. There were all kinds of serious problems associated with it.

Also that "brain eating amoeba" you're speaking of I'm sure is the same organism my nephew was telling me about. That would be "prions". They are certain that prions are what causes Mad Cow disease as well as other brain destroying diseases. My nephew told me that it takes close to 1100 degrees F to destroy prions :eek: I've wondered if prions might be a Biblical plague of some type???>> I never even heard of them until the late 90s.

[VooDooChild]

You brought up two excellent points to consider>> First off most people have no idea just how potentially dangerous that flood water can be. We had a super-flood here in the KC area back in 1993. There were all kinds of serious problems associated with it.

Also that "brain eating amoeba" you're speaking of I'm sure is the same organism my nephew was telling me about. That would be "prions". They are certain that prions are what causes Mad Cow disease as well as other brain destroying diseases. My nephew told me that it takes close to 1100 degrees F to destroy prions :eek: I've wondered if prions might be a Biblical plague of some type???>> I never even heard of them until the late 90s.

Nope. The brain eating amoeba is Naegleria Fowleri, which is exactly as described, a brain eating amoeba. I have read up up on this one a good bit and there really isnt quite enough research due to the low number of cases. It is fairly rare. There is a possibility a lot of cases can go undiagnosed but, considering how common it is in the environment, and how often people are doing water activities in the same environments, there shoud be more documemted cases. Statistically speaking it is unlikely.

Prions are a folding of protein structures in the brain. They are terrifying also, they are resilient in the environment which is not cool.

There was an old guy who scraped his leg on a nail or something wading in flood water after hurricane Irma. I think they amputaded his leg and he still died.

Another guy was fishing and got stuck with a fishing hook in his hand. They amputated his arm and he lived.

I have heard several cases of people visiting beaches here and getting it during the hot months. Dont go into the water with a scratch or open wound. Hard to believe it can live in salt water.

I have in the past, not let my kids go to the beach for this reason.

Another weird thing is that brain eating amoeba. When I was a kid I was splashing around in the creek or flood waters all the time. Swam in dirty lakes and ponds. Today kids cant do that stuff. Me and a friend used to drink right out of the creek! God knows what was in that water.

Its always about the quality of water. Along with your immune system and if you have an open wound. Its also almost always brackish and stagnant water. The problem is theres almost always a bay, river, storm drain, waste water runoff, etc, not too far from a clean looking beach. Once again though, its statistically unlikely.

I dont professionally study or research any of this. But, when I used to be a beach lifeguard I would have so many people come up to me in the summer asking about flesh eating bacteria because the news reported the 1 case in the last 4 months. Keep in mind its a small number of cases for all of Florida for the entire summer. You are talking a handful of people out of millions of people who all got exposed to the same water at the same time.

These Australian Buruli cases seem to be different. Although they also seem to be fairly treatable.

[James Y]

There was a woman who caught an infection from a bacterium called capnocytophaga canimorsus, commonly found in the mouths of dogs and, to a lesser degree, cats, after she was licked by her dog. She ended up going into a coma and had to have all four limbs partially amputated. It’s unpredictable, though. People could be exposed to it for years without experiencing any ill effects.

Jim

[Mike Blue]

A human bite contains more dangerous pathogens than any other animal.

Our bodies have developed to manage, accomodate, coexist with a host of bugs. Trust it to do it's job, feed it in a healthy way and don't stress (this reduces immune competence) about coincidences you can't control. Learn some good first aid and common sense about exposures.

The newsies are in the business of selling stories. The stories that sell best are scary and short and don't contain nearly enough information to rise to the level of common sense. Be careful what you read.

[James Y]

A human bite contains more dangerous pathogens than any other animal.

Our bodies have developed to manage, accomodate, coexist with a host of bugs. Trust it to do it's job, feed it in a healthy way and don't stress (this reduces immune competence) about coincidences you can't control. Learn some good first aid and common sense about exposures.

The newsies are in the business of selling stories. The stories that sell best are scary and short and don't contain nearly enough information to rise to the level of common sense. Be careful what you read.

Yes, I’m well aware that the human mouth contains at least as many pathogens as a dog’s. That’s one reason you should never punch someone in the mouth if you ever needed to defend yourself. That said, the story about the woman who contacted the pathogen, lapsed into a coma and had limbs amputated because of it is true, not internet sensationalism. I even saw the woman it happened to being interviewed. She still loves her dog, though. She wasn’t bitten; it was from being licked.

Edit to add: This is the woman:

https://youtu.be/Hnvb0dUYThc


However, I’m not worried about it. I’m just sharing information. Most people (probably everyone) who have dogs come into contact with the same pathogen all the time and will never suffer any bad effects. Instances like this are extremely rare.

I’m also not stressed or worried about anything else, either, although I do take basic, common-sense health precautions. In the same way I take precautions while driving, without being scared or paranoid every time I get behind the wheel.

Jim

[Mike Blue]

The medical reports for the unfortunate woman indicate the dog licked a cut on her skin. I agree that this case is rare and unusual. That her heart exhibits compassion suggests a great strength in her life.

[Naperville]

The medical reports for the unfortunate woman indicate the dog licked a cut on her skin. I agree that this case is rare and unusual. That her heart exhibits compassion suggests a great strength in her life.

That's really shocking news. When growing up, conventional wisdom was, if you are not near antiseptic to allow a dog to lick your cut.

[Bloke]

I don’t know of a flesh eating bacteria here though I don’t doubt it exists.

We have a White Tail Spider here that causes some sort of necrosis if it bites you. I don’t want to post horrible pics here but if anyone’s interest you can google White Tail Spider bites. :eek:

[Mike Blue]

It's interesting that you bring up spider bites. Very often when someone comes to the office they complain that they got bit by a spider (brown recluse spiders) and it turns out to be a MRSA infection. Those can look nasty even if they don't race away with you.