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Woman with flesh-eating disease in good condition
By Kerri Roche/Staff Writer
Tue Sep 25, 2007, 10:31 AM EDT
Concord -A new mother still remains hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital after being diagnosed with a rare disease at Emerson Hospital this summer, said Mass. General Vice President of Public Affairs Peggy Slasman.
The unidentified Ayer woman is in good condition at Mass. General, she said.
After giving birth on Aug. 9 with a Cesarean section at Emerson, the new mother’s health quickly declined. The 35-year-old was taken into Boston three days later after being diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, also known as a “flesh-eating disease.”
The baby was in good health and discharged shortly after the mother’s diagnosis.
According to officials at Emerson, the pregnancy and birth were normal.
“She was identified with the bacteria here, but we don’t where she contracted [it],” said Bonnie Kaplan Goldsmith, media representative for Emerson Hospital, in a previous interview.
According to the Center for Disease Control, many types of bacteria cause necrotizing fasciitis, however Group A Streptococcus is the most common cause. The bacteria are spread through direct contact with mucus from the nose or throat. Most people who come into contact with this bacterium suffer from strep throats or skin infections.
Only when the bacteria gets into an area where it is not commonly found, such as the blood, muscles or lungs, does it cause necrotizing fasciitis, according to the center. When this occurs, a person’s muscles, skin or fat is destroyed.
Dr. Scott Paparello, who specializes in infectious disease and internal medicine at Emerson, said in a previous interview that the disease is an “infection of deep soft tissues including [the fat layer and muscles] and at times internal organs.”
Emerson has seen only two cases of this disease in the past 10 years, said officials.
Kerri Roche can be reached at 978-371-5796 or kroche@cnc.com.
