A man has died from flesh-eating bacteria that entered his body through a minor cut on his leg.
Dr. Kenneth Dean Creamer, 52, died late Thursday in a Victoria hospital where he had been treated since July 17, two days after he was exposed to the saltwater bacteria vibrio vulnificus.
Creamer, a Houston dentist, apparently hurt himself July 15 when he slipped on a dock during a fishing trip. Within days, both Creamer's legs had to be amputated and he went into a coma, a hospital spokeswoman told the Houston Chronicle for its Saturday editions.
Creamer is the seventh vibrio-related death in Texas this year, according to the Texas Department of Health. The federal Centers for Disease Control said a typical year brings 16 vibrio-related deaths in the Gulf Coast states.
Health experts said the bacteria is common in the Gulf and most prevalent in coastal and bay waters in warmer months. The bacteria can be ingested in contaminated seafood or absorbed through skin wounds.
