Florida Man Bit By Relative Develops Painful Flesh Eating Disease

A Florida man is recovering after almost losing his leg to a flesh-eating bacteria that he contracted from a relative.

Donnie Adams, a resident of Riverview, is grateful to be alive and still have his leg following a brief encounter with a relative who bit him. Adams was attempting to break up a fight during a family gathering in February when the individual sank their teeth into his thigh. Initially, he believed the resulting painful lesion was harmless. After receiving a tetanus shot and antibiotics at the hospital, Adams continued with his daily activities. However, three days later, he found it difficult to walk, and the injury worsened over the next few days, displaying signs of redness, swelling, and pain upon contact.

Following this alarming incident, Adams was readmitted to the hospital, where it was determined that he had contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, from the bite. Emergency surgery was necessary to save his lower extremity. Just days later, Adams underwent a second surgery to remove the infected tissue from his thigh. Dr. Fritz Brink, a wound care specialist, described Adams’ thigh as resembling “an orange peel” due to the underlying swelling. If Adams had not sought medical attention, he could have potentially gone into septic shock.

“Compared to a dog bite, a human bite carries a greater risk of bacterial growth,” explained Dr. Brink.

In total, surgeons had to remove approximately 70 percent of Adams’ thigh to save his life. Adams declined to comment on the family dispute that nearly cost him his life.