- A man died from a bacterial infection he got after chasing his dog into a pond.
- One in five people who develop necrotizing fasciitis, or 'flesh-eating' disease, die.
A man died from a "flesh-eating" disease that he caught while chasing his dog into a pond.
Jeff Bova followed his dog into the pond in San Diego three weeks ago, his mom Susan McIntyre told NBC 7 San Diego.
Bacteria entered a small cut on the 41-year-old's right arm, and caused a necrotizing fasciitis infection, according the NBC News.
The infection started as a small red spot on his arm which then swelled up, his mom said.
Bova didn't like visiting the doctor and put off going until he was in too much pain to manage it by himself. Eventually, he went to the hospital but it was too late and he died two days later.
Necrotizing fasciitis can cause sepsis, shock, and organ failure
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that different types of bacteria can cause a necrotizing fasciitis infection, but experts think it is most commonly caused by strep A, a group of bacteria that can cause several different infections.
Bacteria most commonly enters the skin from cuts, burns, insect bites, puncture wounds, and surgical wounds, but can also enter the body through blunt trauma — an injury where the skin is not broken, the CDC said.
According to the CDC, early symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis include a red, warm, or swollen area of skin that spreads quickly, severe pain beyond the red or swollen skin, and a fever.
Later symptoms can include ulcers, blisters, or black spots on the skin, changes in skin color, pus from the infection, dizziness, fatigue, diarrhea, and nausea.
NBC 7 reported that Bova had a weakened immune system, but did not say why. According to the CDC, most people who get this disease have a weakened immune system, for example through cancer or diabetes, and therefore find it harder to fight the infection.
Bova tried to heal himself but was unable to, NBC 7 reported.
The CDC said it is important to start treatment as early as possible to stop the spread of infection. Treatment includes antibiotics, with some patients needing multiple surgeries.
Serious complications of the disease are common, according to the CDC, and can lead to sepsis, shock, and organ failure.
"Everything just happened so fast," McIntyre told NBC 7.
Dr. Shweta Warner, an infectious diseases doctor, told NBC 7 that necrotizing fasciitis is rare but serious and kills 20% of the people it infects.
"It enters your body through your broken skin barrier, and it quickly reproduces in your tissue, moving through the tissues very rapidly and giving off toxins," she said.