Microbiology - Necrotizing Fasciitis

Case Study 1: Necrotizing Fasciitis

 Necrotizing fasciitis (Streptococcus pyogenes) also known as a flesh­eating disease, is where the soft tissues are dying from the infection. The infection can enter the body through broken or cut skin and begins to spread rapidly. The infections are caused by bacteria that stays on the skin. This type of disease is typically not spread between people, but through not keeping a wound cleaned properly and not washing your hands when handling an open wound or cut.  

The disease is classified into four different types: type I is caused by a mixture of bacterial types, type II is Group A streptococci (usually occurs on neck, head, arm, and leg), type III is caused by Vibrio vulnificus (comes through the skin through a puncture wound from fish or insects in seawater), type IV is a fungal infection, and many more. Due to the purplish­ red skin, rough scar tissue, and swelling on an old surgical wound in the mid­calf she developed type II necrotizing fasciitis. Therefore, since it has not become that severe, it is not type III necrotizing fasciitis caused by Clostridium perfringens.  

Amputation is known to be the best solution for removal of dead or infected tissue in the severe cases of this disease, therefore, so it does not spread to the rest of body. There are many other treatments that can be used to treat this disease. The first line of defense, they immediately deliver antibiotics through an IV line. The second line of defense, if the IV antibiotics do not help they will immediately remove unhealthy tissue or insert a tube to perform a surgical drain. Other antibiotics include penicillin (it works by indirectly bursting bacterial cell walls; the antibiotics do this by acting upon peptidoglycans), clindamycin (it stops the growth of bacteria). Using IV lines to administer antibiotics, to treat the flesh eating disease, is the fastest way for it to get into your system. Removing unhealthy tissues and performing a surgical drain can cause the wounds to heal faster.