'Flesh-eating' bug case causes concern

Research from Otago University has found the numbers of people with a potentially lethal 'flesh eating' bug is on the rise. Photo / Thinkstock

A patient in Palmerston North is the latest in New Zealand to be treated for a rare and potentially lethal "flesh-eating" bug.

MidCentral District Health Board this morning confirmed a patient had been admitted to Palmerston North Hospital with necrotising fasciitis, a disease which eats away at deep skin tissue, in the last three months.

Medical Officer of Health Rob Weir said the man was being treated through a mixture of surgery on infected areas and antibiotics.

There was little fear of the disease spreading from patient to patient, he said.

"These cases are very rare. It usually appears through some kind of general trauma. Once it starts it typically spreads quite rapidly."

Dr Weir said there had been about 20 cases of necrotising fasciitis in the Manawatu since 1996.

Spokesman Dennis Geddis said the board wasn't giving away any details about the patient, as it did not want to identify him.

Necrotising fasciitis is a severe bacterial infection that causes rapid destruction of soft tissue.

Most severely affected people need extensive surgery and sometimes limb amputation.

University of Otago researchers last year released the a first ever nation-wide assessment of the incidence of the bug, commonly referred to as the 'flesh-eating disease'.

It showed the disease has risen from fewer than 10 cases a year in 1990 to more than 70 cases a year in 2006.

The study identified 812 cases between 1990 and 2006, of whom 148 died - a 21 per cent fatality rate.

Associate Professor Michael Baker said the rising incidence of the disease was a cause for concern.

It was in line with a wider worrying increase in serious infectious diseases across New Zealand, he said.

"Although this disease remains uncommon, it's feared because of its speed of onset, high fatality rate, and the severe tissue damage its causes."

A necrotising fasciitis infection can start with a minor skin injury or wound before progressing to severe local pain and a high fever, Dr Baker said.

"The pain is caused by a very rapid spread of the infection into deep soft tissue and is not always obvious from first inspection of the skin. Rapid treatment is absolutely vital to save lives."

The research found Maori and Pacific people, older people, and men are most vulnerable to necrotising fasciitis infection - though the reasons that are not clear.

Causes of rising infection rates may include greater virulence of the bacteria, decreased resistance because of other chronic illnesses, environmental factors such as a rise in household overcrowding, and decreased access to health services because of rising socio-economic inequality, Dr Baker said.

Science fiction writer Peter Watts blogged about his experiences after contracting necrotising fasciitis in his leg earlier this year.

King Herod the Great reportedly suffered necrotising fasciitis of the groin and genitalia at the time of his death.