Man dies from flesh-eating bacteria after wading knee-deep at Virginia beach
Another death linked to flesh-eating bacteria
- A 64-year-old Tampa man, Derek Michael D’Arcy, died 13 days after contracting Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacterium, during a holiday at Virginia Beach.
- Mr D’Arcy, a pastor and painter, waded into calf-deep water with a cut on his leg, which is believed to be how the bacteria entered his system.
- His wife, Joyce, noticed a purple strip on his leg four days later, and despite a positive Vibrio test three days after that, the infection had already severely damaged his legs.
- Doctors amputated both of Mr D’Arcy's legs in an attempt to halt the infection's spread, but it continued to advance to his chest, hands, and head, leading to his death.
- Individuals with weakened immune systems, such as Mr D’Arcy who was on dialysis, are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes from Vibrio vulnificus, which naturally occurs in warm coastal waters.