It quickly mutilates and kills people: should we fear this “flesh-eating” bacteria that is spreading and terrorizing all of Japan ?

If the bacteria manages to pass under the skin, through a painless wound, it can have serious consequences. MAXPPP – LUPU GABRIELA

For four months, the "flesh-eating" terrorizes the Japanese population. More than 850 cases have been recorded. Should we be worried about it in France?

Since January, more than 850 cases of GAS group A streptococcus have been recorded in Japan, i.e. 2.8 times more than last year, indicates < em>7sur7. On the archipelago, masks and social distancing are required.

Necrosis and toxic shock

Mostly considered to be of low pathogenicity, Streptococcus A is lodged in lesions either on the skin or in the oropharyngeal sphere. It is transmitted from human to human through the air. The only effective way to protect yourself is to wear a surgical mask diligently.

But if the bacteria manages to pass under the skin, through a painless injury for example, it can have serious consequences. After an incubation of 2 to 3 days, redness appears and fever rises. The bacteria then destroys the tissues which can sometimes lead to necrotizing fasciitis.

According to professor and infectious disease specialist, Paul Loubet, head of the infectious diseases department at Nîmes University Hospital, in the most serious cases, the bacteria can cause toxic shock: "The bacteria release toxins which cause an inflammatory reaction in all organs".

A support too late

It kills about one in four people, according to the public health department of British Columbia (Canada), where the disease is also present. In Japan, this year, it’s one in three people.

If the infection is treated very early, the person can recover but as with many cases on the Japanese archipelago, doctors are obliged to ;amputate. Professor Loubet explains this in particular by taking care "too late, fragility linked to age, illness, cancer or a particular strain".

The bacteria can be treated with a large dose of antibiotics, like amoxicillin to which it is sensitive. In 95% of cases, "the bacteria causes benign conditions", indicates Pr. Loubet.< /p>

Reappearing in June  2023 in Tokyo, streptococcus led to the classification as "red alert " three-quarters of Japan's 47 departments.