Man Infected With Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Trip To Texas Beach
By Anna Gallegos
May 17, 2021
A Texas man was infected with flesh-eating bacteria after a family trip to the beach.
Robbin Kelly-Dunn says her husband Darrell had to be hospitalized after they and other family members visited Crystal Beach in Galveston County on May 5.
Darrell was involved in a golf cart crash that day, which crushed his legs.
The family called 911 but the dispatcher said it would take some time to get Darrell to the hospital since they'd have to transport him to the mainland.
Robbin has a background in the medical field, according to KTRK. When her husband was finally taken to a hospital, Robbin said no one properly cleaned his wounds.
"When someone comes into the emergency room with something like that, especially if it's on a beach area, you are supposed to clean the wounds because of possible infections. Nothing was done," she said.
The bacteria caused the skin on Darrell's leg to turn red, swell, and blister. After he was discharged from the Galveston hospital, the couple went to another in The Woodlands where the staff immediately put him on antibiotics.
There they learned that Darrell contracted Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that can lead to the flesh-eating disease known as necrotizing fasciitis.
Virbrio lives in warm bodies of water, but having necrotizing fasciitis is very rare. There is about 15 to 35 cases in Texas a year, according to MySA.com. It's also more likely to affect people who are older, have underlying health conditions, or a weakened immune system.
The bacteria enters the body through cuts, scrapes, bites, and other open wounds. The best way to avoid contracting it is by avoiding the beach, lakes, and other warm bodies of water if you have an open wound. Properly cleaning cuts after a day at the beach also helps keep the bacteria at bay.
As for Darrell, his wife's medical knowledge likely stopped his infection from getting worse.
"Had I waited, he could have possibly lost his limb," she said.
Photo: Getty Images