A Texas man contracted a vile skin infection after he dipped his toes into water at a Corpus Christi park.
Adam Perez, 42, was hospitalized and lost most of the flesh on the lower half of his right leg after his dangerous dip last week, and fears he'll have a limp for the rest of his life.
He developed vibriosis, a severe bacterial infection that typically causes violent gastrointestinal illness and is contracted most often from eating under-cooked shellfish.
Perez, however, was among the unlucky few to get a skin infection from the bacteria, which snuck into his system through an open wound.
After Adam Perez stuck his toes into some water at a Corpus Christi park, his foot and leg swelled enormously and a giant blister formed, due to vibriosis
'I'm never going to be the same anymore,' the Corpus Christi resident told MySanAntonio.com.
Perez had strolled into Waters Edge Park in Corpus Christi and dipped his toes into some water there.
It's not clear if he was enjoying the park's fountains or the nearby beach, but it seemed an innocuous move.
And normally it would have been, but Perez didn't realize that the skin between his toe and toenail was broken.
Vibrio bacteria primarily live in brackish - or mixed salt and fresh - water.
They're typically harmless if they come into contact with the surface of the skin.
But if the species is ingested or find an opening via open wounds, they can cause gastrointestinal or tissue
