Woman contracts flesh-eating bacteria on Florida vacation, dies two months later

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman is dead after possibly contracting a flesh-eating bacteria while vacationing with her husband in Florida.

Carol Martin, 50, died two months after returning home from Florida in February with an infection on her buttocks, according to WRTV.

>> Read more trending news

Her husband, Richard Martin, said the infection was about the size of a nickel and she was in so much pain that she went to the doctor twice.

"They sent her home with more antibiotics and a heating pad, and it got worse," Richard Martin told WRTV.

Family members said when Carol Martin returned to the hospital for the third time, they discovered she had necrotizing fasciitis.

“In the emergency room, they said, ‘We are sorry, but she has a flesh-eating bacteria, we have to rush her to surgery right now,’” Richard Martin said.

Carol Martin underwent two major surgeries and spent 16 days in the ICU before returning home. She died Saturday.

According to WRTV, the Marion County coroner is still determining if the bacterial infection contributed to Carol Martin's death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial skin infection that spreads fast and kills the body's soft tissue. The infection can quickly turn deadly.

Since 2010, approximately 600 to 1,200 cases have occurred each year in the United States.

Cox Media Group