BEN West was left in “excruciating pain” and fighting for his life after a flesh-eating bug ravaged his leg – leaving it covered in giant, bursting blisters.
The otherwise healthy 38-year-old was struck by , a deadly bacteria that began shutting down his within days of infection.
Dac Ben West was infected with a flesh-eating bacteria
The 36-year-old was left with blisters all over his leg and has undergone at least four surgeries following the infection
The dad had been crabbing and fishing with his children in the coastal waters of Port St Joe, Florida, on August 23 – the same waters where the bug naturally thrives.
Just three days later he became confused and disoriented, so his fiancée, Janie Knowles, rushed him to the Ascension Sacred Heart Bay hospital, where he received the diagnosis.
Soon after, “big blisters” started popping up on his ankle, before creeping up his leg, Janie told WJHG-TV .
“The blisters [were] everywhere, they were busting,” she explained.
Then his blistered leg started “swelling” growing “four times bigger” than the other one, she explained.
“He [Ben] said ‘it’s the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life,” she added.
If someone is infected, the bug spreads so quickly it can kill within days, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says,
Not only was Ben’s leg tissue completely ravaged by the infection, but he also suffered as a result, his fiancée told the Florida news station.
“Everything was happening so fast, I was scared, scared of death,” she said,
“I remember fainting, but when I came back, I was on my knees and I was saying, ‘God please, do not take him from me, God please,” she added.
Ben has since undergone four – but more will likely be needed, Janie said.
She said doctors believe the progression of the infection has stopped.
Ben’s family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical bills.
“Now we have to start dealing with the residual affects to his skin,” Janie said.
“There will likely be skin that dies…[and] skin grafts will be needed at a later time.”
His leg eventually quadrupled in size
Ben’s family were worried he might not make it
“We still have a series of surgeries ahead of us and doctors say a long long, road of recovery once we leave the hospital,” she wrote on the fundraiser.
Ben’s family is urging people to exercise caution if they decide to swim in local waterways.
“When I tell you that this disease, if you’re wrong, it will kill you, it will kill your relatives, it will kill your loved ones, and you’re going to have to make up your own mind if it’s worth it,” the victim’s father, Keith West, said.
On the fundraiser, Janie also noted that her fiancée was “very healthy with no health problems” but “became septic in less than 24 hours” after he was infected.
Vibrio vulnificus can be found in seawater
What is Vibrio?
Vibrio bacteria thrive in seawater and in the mix of fresh and saltwater found in estuaries and lagoons.
Most infections are reported from May to October, and most happen in states along the Gulf Coast.
The nastiest type is Vibrio vulnificus. It accounts for around 200 of the more than 1,000 Vibrio illnesses each year, according to CDC data.
As many as one in five of those infections are fatal — a much higher rate than other types of Vibrio bacteria.
Some people become infected by eating eat raw or undercooked shellfish – particularly oysters.
But a large percentage fall ill when the person is in ocean or brackish water and the bacteria enter the body through small breaks in the skin.
Signs of a Vibrio vulnificus infection
is a rare but serious bacterial infection that affects the tissue beneath the skin and surrounding muscles and organs.
The bacteria can spread in a matter of hours – even from a minor cut or scrape – and is life-threatening if it’s not treated early enough.
People can also get ill if they eat seafood that contains the bacteria.
According to the CDC , early symptoms of a Vibrio infection include:
- Watery diarrhea and stomach cramps
- Nausea
- Fever and chills
- Blistering skin, which may present as black dots
- Low blood pressure
- Pain, swelling, or warmth around an infected wound
Meanwhile, according to the , initial symptoms of necrotising fasciitis include:
- Intense pain or loss of feeling near to a cut or wound – the pain may seem much worse than you would usually expect from a cut or wound
- Swelling of the skin around the affected area
- Flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headache and tiredness
Later symptoms can include:
- Being sick (vomiting) and diarrhoea
- Confusion
- Black, purple or grey blotches and blisters on the skin (these may be less obvious on black or brown skin)
