A man who contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while crabbing in New Jersey could lose all of his limbs.  Mere hours after Angel Perez of Millville finished his crabbing expedition in the Maurice River, his arms and legs were in severe pain.

Perez’s limbs began to balloon up in conjunction with the pain. According to reports by NJ.com, Perez’s daughter stated that her father had been infected with Vibrio necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria that can be contracted in the summer months from salty water.  Vibrio is found in brackish and seawater, especially during the hot summer months.

If Perez, who is currently in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in critical condition at the hospital fails to respond to antibiotics, amputation of his limbs may the only hope doctors have of saving his life. The infection has spread to all four limbs making amputation of all four a real possibility. Perez’s family is now warning others of the debilitating bacterial infection and how to remain unscathed.

The New Jersey Health Department stated if anyone has open cuts or scrapes, it’s best to stay out of all brackish water.  Brackish water is water that has more salinity than freshwater but is not as salty as sea water. It is often found where freshwater meets the sea. Health officials also want to warn anyone with liver disease or a weakened immune system.  Should you have a liver condition or a weak immune system, you should also avoid eating raw shellfish because the bacteria can be spread easily through food.

Antibiotic resistance can be a potentially deadly issue facing humanity at this time.  Bacteria have begun to evolve beyond the efficacy of modern antibiotics making infections all the more deadly.

The genetic building blocks for antibiotic resistance intermingle freely in the pipes connected to the hospital rooms of those who are sick with viruses and bacterial infections, according to a studypublished in the journal mBio. That DNA can give superbugs the power to defeat modern medicines and threaten the lives of other patients.

In a new study, published by The American Society for Microbiology, scientists determined that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are bred in the plumbing of hospitals. The study, titled Genomic Analysis of Hospital Plumbing Reveals Diverse Reservoir of Bacterial Plasmids Conferring Carbapenem Resistance found that even when hospitals themselves are impeccably clean of infectious bacteria and viruses, the pipes that carry away those micro-organisms are not. –Ready Nutrition

The best way to stay healthy is to obviously prevent the body from becoming infected. Another way to stay safe and prepare the body is also simple. Don’t let the body become antibiotic resistant by overusing antibiotics.  Don’t take an antibiotic for a viral infection, such as the cold or the flu. Humans are speeding up the process of transforming all bacteria into drug-resistant superbugs by overusing antibiotics. Today, it is estimated that in half of all cases, antibiotics are prescribed for conditions caused by viruses, where they do literally no good.

You can also do more to prevent infections in the first place by ensuring your hands, instruments, and environment are clean. And stay out of brackish water or filthy water.