flesh-eating bacterium
noun
plural flesh-eating bacteria
: a bacterium (such as a Group A streptococcus or MRSA) that causes necrotizing fasciitis
Blunt trauma that doesn't tear the skin can also permit entry of flesh-eating bacteria, according to the CDC.—
Susan Scutti and Jen Christensen
Susan Scutti and Jen ChristensenThe rise of superbugs that can survive multiple antibiotics—such as MRSA, the notorious "flesh-eating bacterium"—has turned once-trivial infections into persistent problems.—Valerie Ross
Valerie Ross… the notorious streptococcus strain known as "the flesh-eating bacterium."—Laurie Garrett
Laurie GarrettExamples of flesh-eating bacterium in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Three deaths in the Northeast from an uncommon flesh-eating bacterium came from both swimming in infected warm water and contaminated raw shellfish.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2023
Five people are confirmed dead in the Tampa Bay area because of a flesh-eating bacterium known to lurk at beaches, Florida officials reported.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 19 Aug. 2023
Potentially deadly infections from a type of flesh-eating bacterium could significantly increase in the decades ahead as climate change causes oceans to warm and helps the organisms spread into new coastal areas.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 23 Mar. 2023
Infections caused by a type of deadly, flesh-eating bacterium are becoming more common and widespread as ocean temperatures rise because of climate change.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2023
In recent years, the flesh-eating bacterium appears to be migrating north.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 23 Mar. 2023
Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2023
Five people are confirmed dead in the Tampa Bay area because of a flesh-eating bacterium known to lurk at beaches, Florida officials reported.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 19 Aug. 2023
Potentially deadly infections from a type of flesh-eating bacterium could significantly increase in the decades ahead as climate change causes oceans to warm and helps the organisms spread into new coastal areas.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 23 Mar. 2023
Infections caused by a type of deadly, flesh-eating bacterium are becoming more common and widespread as ocean temperatures rise because of climate change.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2023
In recent years, the flesh-eating bacterium appears to be migrating north.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 23 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flesh-eating bacterium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flesh-eating bacterium
Cite this Entry
“Flesh-eating bacterium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh-eating%20bacterium. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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