Definition
Flesh-eating disease is more properly called necrotizing fasciitis, a rare condition in which bacteria destroy tissues underlying the skin. This tissue death, called necrosis or gangrene, spreads rapidly. This disease can be fatal in as little as 12 to 24 hours.
Description
Although the term is technically incorrect, flesh-eating disease is an apt descriptor: the infection appears to devour body tissue. Media reports increased in the middle and late 1990s, but the disease is not new. Hippocrates...
Source: Encyclopedia of Medicine, ©2002 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
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