Collier County, Fla. (WINK) — Albert Allison, a former Coast Guard pilot who flew rescue missions on remote Pacific islands and through Alaskan snow storms, found himself needing a lifeline last year after catching a deadly bacteria while fishing.
Allison noticed something was wrong while watching TV at home. He felt a pain in his calf and discovered what appeared to be a tiny bruise.
The little bruise turned out to be Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria that quickly grew and landed him in the hospital for weeks. Florida just recorded it’s fifth Vibrio death this year, according our partners at FOX 13.
The Florida Department of Health reported that a Pinellas County resident died last week. The circumstances were not immediately available.
Allison was in the hospital for weeks as doctors prescribed him medication and worked to save the leg.
Dr. Valerie Harwood studies water microbiology at the University of South Florida. She says Vibrio is a naturally-occurring bacteria found in warm, brackish waters.
“It is everywhere, and it’s at high levels in warm water,” Harwood said.
The bacteria can be dangerous for people with underlying conditions like heart or liver problems. Infections can start through a cut coming in contact with the water or consuming undercooked seafood.
“If it continues, the infection continues and causes septicemia or blood poisoning, that’s when your risk of dying is close to 50%,” Harwood said.
The close call is keeping the 89-year-old airman on high alert. His decades-long career included flying rescue missions in some of the world’s most challenging conditions.
“Be careful, because it’s out there. It’s everywhere,” Allison said.