What Causes Necrotising Fasciitis, The Flesh-Eating Bug?

Health and Medicine





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Early necrotising fasciitis is easily missed because the symptoms – fever, pain, swelling and tenderness at the affected site – may be non-specific or confused with a mild, superficial infection. Zurijeta/Shutterstock

Port Melbourne VFL player Sam O'Sullivan is reportedly recovering in hospital after being infected with the flesh-eating disease “necrotising myositis”. This disease is one of a group of serious infections affecting soft tissue, usually called “necrotising fasciitis” or sometimes “gas gangrene”.