An unidentified Hispanic man who was 31 years old died after he caught sepsis from swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. The reason why he caught sepsis was that he went swimming when he was not supposed to.
The man had gotten a new tattoo, and he ignored the advice given to him by the people who gave him the tattoo. The advice was for him to wait for two weeks before going into pools or oceans.
Unfortunately, he ignored this advice and went for a swim just five days after he got the tattoo. While swimming with the fresh wound of the tattoo, it got contaminated with a flesh-eating bug that essentially led to his death.
According to BMJ Case Reports, the man was rushed to the emergency room a day later. His lesions began to change. Central purple patches with black borders developed. Fluid-filled blisters called bullae then started discharging over his wound at a frightening rate.
Lab results of the man’s body showed high levels of liver enzymes, which indicated a history of chronic liver disease.
The man drank six 340ml bottles of beer daily, which attributed to his weakened liver.
A weakened liver is prone to a higher risk of attracting infections. It is assumed that individuals with chronic liver disease have low amounts of neutrophils. Neutrophils are important white blood cells that help fight off bugs.
The doctors who treated the man concluded that he had had an infection with the Vibrio vulnificus, which is a specific type of bacteria that is typically present in ocean water.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an infection with the Vibrio vulnificus has a variety of symptoms. Some of these symptoms include fever, nausea, chills, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
The doctors also reported that the fresh wound was the main entry point for the bug.
The doctors gave him a double antibiotic regimen, but his condition declined, and that led him to go into septic shock.
The man ended up dying just two months after he had taken his very first visit to the hospital for the infection.
His death was as a result of a combination of different issues. Doctors state these issues included kidney failure, liver disease, and necrotic skin lesions.
Experts alert individuals that immersing open sores into any type of water causes a threat of infection. It is best to visit a doctor to treat any kind of sore before taking any action to heal it yourself.
Tattoo artists regularly warn individuals who get new tattoos to wait anywhere from two weeks to a month before going swimming to let the wounds fully heal.
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