finchaser
10-03-2013, 05:34 PM
As sea water continues to warm globally it would seem that this disease will flourish!
Pictured: The TINY foot wound that killed a man in just 28 hours as part of the flesh-eating bacterial infection that is sweeping Florida
The coin-sized cut that cost a 59-year-old father his life
Vibrio vulnificus bacteria overcame the body of Henry Konietzky 'like acid', wife says
Total of nine dead from infection this year
Florida on high alert, with health officials warning locals to take caution when coming in contact with saltwater, where the bacteria breeds
At first he thought it was a 'harmless insect bite'.
But little did Henry Konietzky know that, 28 painful hours after noticing a small abrasion on his foot, he would become the ninth person this year to be killed by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria.
Pictures have emerged of the tiny legion that appeared on the Florida father's right foot on Sunday, the day after he went crabbing in the Halifax River in Florida with his wife, Patty.
Scroll down for video
Henry Konietzky
This was the first sympton that manifested on Henry Konietzky after he was infected with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in a Florida river at the weekend. Mr Konietzky died on Monday after the infection overtook his body
Horrific: Henry Konietzky did not have any medical issues before the bacteria
Horrific: Henry Konietzky had no previous medical issues before encountering the bacteria
Mr Konietzky had stepped on some ants before getting into the water, sustaining small bites.
Doctors believe this was the gateway that allowed him to become infected by the flesh-eating bacteria, which is considered one of the deadliest strands of bacterium in the world and usually forms every year in the warm saltwater swimming holes of Florida.
As the wound started to fester, the Palm Coast man was rushed to hospital, where he was administered with numerous courses of antibiotics.
'Nothing was touching it. Nothing even phased it,' his sister-in-law, Debbie stack, told Click Orlando.
'This bacteria crept through his body like acid - it was the most horrific I've ever seen in my life' his wife, Patty Konietzky, told ABC News.
Mrs Konietzky said the legions started to spread once they got her husband to the hospital and, 28 hours after being admitted, he died from organ failure.
It is the ninth death in 2013 connected to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in the Volusia and Flager counties, with health officials warning locals to take serious care when visiting saltwater spots, especially with open wounds.
Distraught: His family members said they do not feel his initial symptoms were taken seriously enough
Distraught: His family members said they wish they took the symptoms more seriously. Mr Konietzky is pictured with his wife, Patty (left) and daughter, Sheila (center), who said he had loved fishing all his life
Spread fast: Mr Konietzky (pictured with his daughter) had awoken to what looked like an insect bite on his leg. Before long it started festering and he was rushed to hospital, where he died the following night
Spread fast: Mr Konietzky (pictured with his daughter) had awoken to what looked like an insect bite on his leg. Before long it started festering and he was rushed to hospital, where he died the following night
However, two men have recovered from the infection after contracting it fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, reported 10 News.
Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally-occurring bacteria in warm sea water that belongs to the same family of bacterium as cholera and requires salt to live.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the bacteria can also be contracted from eating contaminated raw seafood.
Henry Konietzky, 59, died 28 hours after he contracted a bacterial infection while setting crab traps in the Halifax River
Deadly: Mr Konietzky contracted a bacterial infection while setting crab traps in the Halifax River (pictured)
Nine deaths in the state of Florida have been linked to the bacteria, called Vibrio vulnificus (pictured), which normally lives in warm seawater
Linked to other cases: Nine deaths in the state of Florida have been linked to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria (pictured), which normally lives in warm seawater
When open wounds on otherwise healthy people are exposed to warm seawater containing the bacteria, the skin can become infected, leading to a breakdown and ulceration of the skin.
Immunocompromised people face a deadlier risk: they have a higher possibility of the bacteria invading the bloodstream, leading to potentially fatal complications.
If the bacteria is ingested, healthy people can experience vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Pictured: The TINY foot wound that killed a man in just 28 hours as part of the flesh-eating bacterial infection that is sweeping Florida
The coin-sized cut that cost a 59-year-old father his life
Vibrio vulnificus bacteria overcame the body of Henry Konietzky 'like acid', wife says
Total of nine dead from infection this year
Florida on high alert, with health officials warning locals to take caution when coming in contact with saltwater, where the bacteria breeds
At first he thought it was a 'harmless insect bite'.
But little did Henry Konietzky know that, 28 painful hours after noticing a small abrasion on his foot, he would become the ninth person this year to be killed by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria.
Pictures have emerged of the tiny legion that appeared on the Florida father's right foot on Sunday, the day after he went crabbing in the Halifax River in Florida with his wife, Patty.
Scroll down for video
Henry Konietzky
This was the first sympton that manifested on Henry Konietzky after he was infected with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in a Florida river at the weekend. Mr Konietzky died on Monday after the infection overtook his body
Horrific: Henry Konietzky did not have any medical issues before the bacteria
Horrific: Henry Konietzky had no previous medical issues before encountering the bacteria
Mr Konietzky had stepped on some ants before getting into the water, sustaining small bites.
Doctors believe this was the gateway that allowed him to become infected by the flesh-eating bacteria, which is considered one of the deadliest strands of bacterium in the world and usually forms every year in the warm saltwater swimming holes of Florida.
As the wound started to fester, the Palm Coast man was rushed to hospital, where he was administered with numerous courses of antibiotics.
'Nothing was touching it. Nothing even phased it,' his sister-in-law, Debbie stack, told Click Orlando.
'This bacteria crept through his body like acid - it was the most horrific I've ever seen in my life' his wife, Patty Konietzky, told ABC News.
Mrs Konietzky said the legions started to spread once they got her husband to the hospital and, 28 hours after being admitted, he died from organ failure.
It is the ninth death in 2013 connected to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in the Volusia and Flager counties, with health officials warning locals to take serious care when visiting saltwater spots, especially with open wounds.
Distraught: His family members said they do not feel his initial symptoms were taken seriously enough
Distraught: His family members said they wish they took the symptoms more seriously. Mr Konietzky is pictured with his wife, Patty (left) and daughter, Sheila (center), who said he had loved fishing all his life
Spread fast: Mr Konietzky (pictured with his daughter) had awoken to what looked like an insect bite on his leg. Before long it started festering and he was rushed to hospital, where he died the following night
Spread fast: Mr Konietzky (pictured with his daughter) had awoken to what looked like an insect bite on his leg. Before long it started festering and he was rushed to hospital, where he died the following night
However, two men have recovered from the infection after contracting it fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, reported 10 News.
Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally-occurring bacteria in warm sea water that belongs to the same family of bacterium as cholera and requires salt to live.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the bacteria can also be contracted from eating contaminated raw seafood.
Henry Konietzky, 59, died 28 hours after he contracted a bacterial infection while setting crab traps in the Halifax River
Deadly: Mr Konietzky contracted a bacterial infection while setting crab traps in the Halifax River (pictured)
Nine deaths in the state of Florida have been linked to the bacteria, called Vibrio vulnificus (pictured), which normally lives in warm seawater
Linked to other cases: Nine deaths in the state of Florida have been linked to the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria (pictured), which normally lives in warm seawater
When open wounds on otherwise healthy people are exposed to warm seawater containing the bacteria, the skin can become infected, leading to a breakdown and ulceration of the skin.
Immunocompromised people face a deadlier risk: they have a higher possibility of the bacteria invading the bloodstream, leading to potentially fatal complications.
If the bacteria is ingested, healthy people can experience vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.