(DETROIT FREE PRESS) - A Farmington Hills woman died Sunday night after contracting flesh-eating bacteria, according to her husband.
Crystal Spencer, 33, died Sunday night at Huron Valley Hospital, her husband, Jeff Spencer said today. She was hospitalized June 30 in another facility after, her family believes, contracting the illness when she visited a medical center to have a boil lanced.
Spencer, a Type II diabetic, had been recovering after multiple surgeries, including skin grafts to repair areas destroyed by the bacteria.
According to the National Library of Medicine, flesh-eating bacteria cause an illness called necrotizing fasciitis, named for the tissue damage caused by the microbes. Many bacterial species can cause the disease, including members of the streptococcus family. Treatment involves large amounts of antibiotics and removal of dead tissue.
Detroit Free Press