Mum’s vacation nightmare as ‘flesh-eating’ bug turns tiny minimize into organ failure
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: A woman has pulled back the lid and revealed her organs began to shut down after she went swimming with an open wound and was effected by a deadly bacteria
Genevieve Gallagher has issued a warning to swimmers(Image: Genevieve Gallagher/Facebook)
A woman has issued a desperate plea to unsuspecting swimmers after she was hit with a devastating water-borne bacteria that led to her losing a limb.
Genevieve Gallagher from Pensacola, Florida, has revealed how a tiny cut in her leg turned into a life threatening incident resulting in her losing her leg. Genevieve was on a boating trip with her family in July 2025 when the horror struck while swimming.
The bacteria responsible for the ordeal was Vibrio vulnificus, and is often nicknamed the “flesh-eating” bacteria. The bacteria is a type from a group called Vibrio which lives naturally in warm or brackish water, where freshwater and seawater mix.
Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus can include fever, vomiting, cramping and diarrhoea. Vibrio vulnificus can be dangerous if it gets into an open cut, scrape or fresh tattoo. The bacteria can trigger necrotising fasciitis, where tissue rapidly dies.
The incident happened on a boat trip(Image: Genevieve Gallagher/Facebook)
Because of this, in some cases it requires emergency surgery or even amputation. It can also cause sepsis, and bloodstream infections which are fatal in roughly one in five cases – sometimes within one to two days.
Speaking to Fox 35, Genevieve she said: “Every organ in my body began to fail. I went septic. I was intubated for six days, almost lost my life.”
Genevieve stated she “woke up and a lot of my leg was missing at the bottom.” Speaking to KKTV Genevieve has spoken of the long-term effects the infection has had on her body.
She said: “This will turn your life upside-down. I lost so much of my left leg below my kneecap; it’s unbelievable the amount of trauma I’ve been through.”
Genevieve’s leg had to be amputated (Image: Genevieve Gallagher/Facebook)
The woman has urged people to think twice about swimming in open water if they have a small cut or open wound on their body. She stated: “If you have any open cuts at all, like mosquito bites that are open you’ve scratched. Do not shave the night before you go in the water.”
The woman added: “Just anything. It’s so serious and you can get it. You can get it. So do not take that chance [with] your life.”
In a previous study the Met Office used data to identify locations where summer sea-surface temperatures were favourable for Vibrio bacteria (based on average number of days per year warmer than 18°C).
Dr Sariqa Wagley, of the University of Exeter, said: “Vibrio species can often be found in UK waters in summer, when temperatures are more favourable for them.
“With sea-surface temperatures rising due to climate change, Vibrio activity in the waters is more common, and the diversity of Vibrio species is now increasing.”
“We found Vibrio parahaemolyticus – the leading cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis worldwide – at Chichester Harbour.
“Vibrio alginolyticus, which can also cause illness in humans, was identified at three of the sites that had sea-surface temperatures above 18°C (Chichester Harbour, Osea Island and Whitstable Bay).
“It is important to note that thorough cooking kills harmful Vibrio bacteria in seafood.
“However, increasing abundance and diversity of Vibrio bacteria creates health risks not only for people eating seafood, but for those using the sea for recreation purposes – either due to swallowing infected seawater or from the bacteria entering exposed wounds or cuts.”
