Man has leg amputated after contracting flesh-eating bacteria on trip to beach

'You go swimming with your family on Sunday, Wednesday you have boils on your leg, Thursday you lose the leg'

Brian Parrot caught an infection known as Vibrio from contaminated water as he sat in the shore (Fox 26/ YouTube)

A man who contracted flesh-eating bacteria after spending minutes in the ocean has had to have his leg amputated.

Brian Parrott, 50, fell ill following a day at a beach in Galveston, Texas, where he sat at the waters’ edge while his children and granddaughter swam in the water.

Mr Parrott’s mother, Donna Dailey, said the whole thing “happened so fast”.

“You go swimming with your family on Sunday, you go to work on Monday, you have a red leg on Tuesday, Wednesday you have boils on your leg, Thursday you lose the leg,” Ms Dailey told Fox 26 News.

Mr Parrott was rushed to LBJ hospital and underwent surgery to amputate his right leg from the knee down.

“When we got there, they already had him hooked up to everything and were trying to save his life,” Dailey said. “They said it was extremely serious, and they didn't know what they were going to be able to do,” she told abc 7 news.

The infection is thought to have been contracted from a scratch on his foot, doctors told his mother.

The infection has been named as Vibrio, and is contracted when an open wound comes into contact with contaminated water or following consumption of contaminated sea food.

“Because he’s diabetic, he may have had a scratch on his foot, everything was was right for it,” Ms Dailey said.

Mr Parrott is currently being monitored at hospital.

There were apparently no warning signs at the beach.

“If he thought something was that dangerous, he surely wouldn’t have put his granddaughter in the water,” Ms Dailey said.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there have been 24 cases of Vibrio thus far in 2016, 102 cases in 2015 and 77 in 2014.

The Texas Department of State Health Services suggests people observe the following to avoid the infection:

• Avoid seawater if you have a pre-existing wound

• If you sustain a wound or injury while exposed to salty seawater or while handling seafood, thoroughly clean and disinfect the area immediately and seek medical attention if the area becomes inflamed.

• Do not eat raw oysters or shellfish