Don’t Google Necrotizing Fasciitis if you have a weak stomach, you’ve been warned! What this disease can do to the body is not pretty. Luckily, we have this scientific graphic from NYRequirements.com that talks about the microbes (flesh eating bacteria) that cause flesh-eating disease and how deadly they are.
4 different types of flesh eating bacteria
There are four different types of flesh eating bacteria that can cause Necrotizing Fasciitis. Those are Gram-Positive, Gram-Negative, Anaerobes and Fungi bacteria.
Gram-Positive Bacterium is resistant to almost all antibiotics. Streptococci, Staphylococcus and Enterococci make up the three types of gram-positive bacterium.
Gram-Negative Bacterium is the 2nd grouping made up of Escherichia Coli, Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Prevotella, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Vibrio Vulnificus. Anaerobes are bacteria that can live in environments without oxygen. Bacteroides, Clostridium Perfringens, Clostridium Septicum and Clostridium Sordellii make up this group of Anaerobes.
Fungi is the last grouping and is made up of Mucoralean Fungi, commonly found on moldy bread, in soil and decomposing matter. This can cause a fungal infection on the skin that can then turn into necrotizing fasciitis.
There are 4 different types of Necrotizing Fasciitis that this chart lays out.
The first type is called Infection Type I. This typically affects older people with comorbidities and immune deficiencies. This type has a mortality rate of 20-40%.
Type II infection is caused by Streptoccocci or staph infection. This type commonly affects young and healthy adults with a recent injury or operation. The mortality rate is less than 32%.
Type III is a rare type of infection caused by Vibrio Vulnificus and most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico. The mortality rate for this type is 30-40%.
Type IV infection is the rarest yet most deadly with a mortality rate of 47% this mostly affects people with compromised immune systems or traumatic wounds. This is the only type of Necrotizing Fasciitis (flesh eating disease) that is caused by Mucoralean Fungi.
Next read: Infection Control: The Infection Plaguing Skilled Nursing Professions
