A New Jersey man may lose his legs and arms after he contracted a flesh-eating bacteria near a river in the state.
Angel Perez was crabbing at Matt's Landing near Camden on July 2. Hours after the excursion, his right leg swelled. Then his daughter said that his leg started becoming brown and black and blistered, WPVI reported.
They took him to the hospital where doctors said he contracted vibrio, a bacteria commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria, WPVI reported.
Perez's daughter said that the infection is now in his blood and he's in critical condition, NJ.com reported.
Doctors are treating him with antibiotics and have to wait until he responds to the treatment before they consider amputating at least three, if not all four, limbs, NJ.com reported.
He is able to breathe on his own and family can communicate with Perez.
Two other friends of the family also frequent the landing and have also been experiencing swelling. One had painful swelling in a leg. Another has a swelling on an elbow, NJ.com reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that variations of vibrio can be found in brackish or salt water. Open wounds can cause the bacteria to enter the body. Most infections, 80 percent of them, happen between May and October when water is warm.
Those who contract vibrio vulnificus infections can get so sick that they need intensive care and even amputation of limbs. One in four people die, some succumbing to the infection within a day or two of getting sick, according to the CDC.
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