Michigan teenager Kaylee Queen is in the hospital after being infected with flesh-eating bacteria (also known as necrotizing fasciitis) and another, unknown, bacteria, according to news reports.
The 18-year-old, from Burton, had flu-like symptoms and experienced a raised, growing rash on her body, that prompted her family to bring her to the hospital last week, WJRT reported. A couple of days after arriving the hospital, doctors performed surgery on Queen to remove infected muscle and tissue.
She had been staying in the intensive care unit at the Flint hospital, but has just been moved out to the surgery and recovery floor, according to a Facebook page set up in honor of Queen.
Kaylee is out of ICU and has moved to surgery/recovery floor. She can now have visits from her friends. Flowers and balloons are allowed. This is the 4th floor.
ABC 57 reported that doctors say Queen's recovery is expected to take months.
The exact source of the bacteria is not known, "but going from the site of where it started ... it looks like possibly from shaving," Dianna told WJRT.
According to the 2007 World Journal of Emergency Surgery study, necrotizing fasciitis can be hard to diagnose -- but being too slow to identify it carries an increased risk of death.
The first symptoms are typically seen in the first day, and include new wounds elsewhere (even though the original wound usually doesn't yet look infected), the sensation of pain somewhere near the original wound and flu-like symptoms.
Three or four days later, the part of the body where the infected wound is may start to swell up and dark marks and rashes may occur. The actual wound may also start to have a "bluish, white, or dark, mottled, flaky appearance," according to the study. And within four or five days, the body's blood pressure may decrease and may experience septic shock. The person may also become unconscious.