Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills Eastern Shore Man

OCEAN CITY, MD — An Eastern Shore man who waded into the waters of Assawoman Bay to retrieve crab pots at the end of the season died a few days later from flesh-eating bacteria, his family says.

Michael Funk, 67, of Ocean City, died Sept. 15, 2016, at Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore from the ravages of vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which has been called “flesh-eating bacteria. The organism quickly destroys the body’s soft tissue; doctors amputated Funk’s leg in an effort to halt the bacteria, but it was too late.

Funk, who had a wound on his leg, went into the water Sept. 11 when he and a friend took his boat out of the water. His widow, Marcia Funk, said it was the only time all summer her husband went into the water; they were packing up their Maryland house to head to their winter home in Arizona.

“The surgeon said if you get this, you will be an amputee in 24 hours and if that doesn’t work you’re going to dead in 36 hours and that’s exactly what happened,” she told OC Today. “He loved his crabs, he loved his boat and he loved the waters here. It’s what took his life.”

Funeral services for Funk were held Sept. 24. You can leave a message of sympathy for his family on the Burbage Funeral Home website.

Flesh-eating bacteria lurks in warm water, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency describes it as a "serious bacterial skin infection that spreads quickly and kills the body's soft tissue."

Officials say that avoiding the rare disease means not going in water of any kind with an open cut, washing your hands often, and being especially careful if your immune system is suppressed.

Nationwide on an annual basis, the bacteria causes some 80,000 illnesses, 500 hospitalizations and 100 deaths, according to the CDC. Of those, more than 50,000 illnesses are believed to be caused by eating contaminated food.

Reduce your risk of vibriosis by following these tips:

• Don’t eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish. Cook them before eating.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water after handing raw shellfish.
• Avoid contaminating cooked shellfish with raw shellfish and its juices.
• Stay out of brackish or salt water if you have a wound (including cuts and scrapes), or cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if there’s a possibility it could come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices.
• Wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water if they have been exposed to seawater or raw seafood or its juices.
• If you develop a skin infection, tell your medical provider if your skin has come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices.

If you are in a group more likely to get vibriosis:

• Wear clothes and shoes that can protect you from cuts and scrapes when in brackish or salt water.
• Wear protective gloves when handling raw seafood