[Marika (OP)]

Bhavesh says:

The origin of Viruses like Necrotising facitis aka 'Flesh eating bug' How long have these viruses proliferated in nature? Do animals have an immunity? When was the 1'st recorded case in medical journals? Where can they be found in nature? I read someone in U.K contracted it near a sewage outlet pipe out near sea(in recent years)! What can we do to avoid such things? Are scientists close to a cure?

What do you think?

[chris]

Necrotising fasciitis is the term applied to a syndrome rather than name of a specific microbe. It is the destruction of soft tissues, usually the limbs or perineum, secondary to bacterial infection.

The phenomenon is not new and has allegedly was first documented in the time of Hippocrates, thousands of years ago. It is most common in people with immune impairment, including sufferers of chronic diseases like diabetes, in alcoholism or poor self care, cancer, IV drug abuse and vascular insufficiency (clogged arteries).

It usually begins when bacteria gain access to the soft-tissues through a skin breach, which can be owing to trauma, disease such as ulceration, or surgery. The majority of the infections are caused by mixed populations of bacteria; common culprits include Staph aureus (including MRSA), Streptococci, Enterococci, Pseudomonas, coliforms, and anaerobes (including Clostridium species like perfringens, which causes gas gangrene).

Many of these organisms as common, both on individuals and in the environment. As such, necrotising fasciitis is rarely a problem transmitted between individuals but is a consequence of increased susceptibility to infection, debility, and wounding.

The infection spreads rapidly through the subcutaneous tissue, following tissue planes and secreting toxins that destroy the host tissue, hence the necrotising part of the name.

The key to successful management is prompt diagnosis and therapy with broad-spectrum antibiotics that cover the range of infecting organisms as well as surgical debridement; a plastic surgeon is needed to remove the dead / compromised or devitalised tissues to remove the source of the infection and enable the site of infection to be cleaned. Amputations may be needed in some cases.

The outcomes are variable and depend upon the prior condition of the patient. Patients may need skin and other tissue grafts to close sound sites and repair large defects left by debridement.

The best treatment is prevention...