Man could lose limbs after contracting flesh-eating bacteria in New Jersey waters
MILLVILLE, N.J. – It’s a summertime tradition — fishing for crabs in rivers and bays. But a New Jersey man from Cumberland County who has done it many times before is now fighting for his life after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria while crabbing, CBS Philly reports.
“The choice is life or limbs and I’ve heard that multiple times,” said Dilena Perez-Dilan, after her 60-year-old father, Angel Perez, contracted the disease while crabbing last week off the Maurice River in Commercial Township. “The sores started showing up on his legs and he started hallucinating.”
Perez-Dilan says on July 2 her father was crabbing at his favorite spot near Matt’s Landing on the river. Complaining of pain, he went to an urgent care center the next day and got antibiotics, but the swelling only got worse as the bacteria spread to his bloodstream.
“They told us that his kidneys shut down and that he would need dialysis immediately,” she said.
Angel Perez contracted flesh-eating bacteria while crabbing in New Jersey waters.
Perez had to have a leg surgically drained as an infectious disease doctor investigated the cause of the infection. It turned out to be Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria common to warm brackish water that is usually only a concern if you eat contaminated raw shellfish.