A single flea bite has cost a Texas man both his arms and part of his feet. Michael Kohlhof, 35, was suffering from flu-like symptoms, unaware that he had actually contracted a severe case of typhus from a flea bite. After receiving intensive medical care for days, Kohlhof manages to survive. Although the flea bite partially robbed him of his arms and feet.
Michael Kohlhof was visiting his mother when he began to feel ill. He suffered from flu-like symptoms and some stomach and intestinal problems. However, he was rushed to the emergency room after losing feeling in his toes. The seriousness of the situation manifested itself the next day, when he was put on a ventilator and his organs began to fail. Doctors determined he had a serious case of typhoid, a bacterial infection spread by fleas. His mother, J’Leene Hardaway, says doctors used “all possible drugs” to save her son’s life, including antibiotics, steroids and vasopressors. Those vasopressors saved Kohlhof’s life, but also caused damage to his hands and feet.
“I had to call family from all over the country to say goodbye,” says mother Hardaway. Kohlhof’s brother Greg told local news station KENS5 that his brother “almost died once or twice.” “They were afraid he would be brain dead,” said Greg.
After 11 days of intensive medical care, Kohlhof was miraculously taken off ventilator and sedation. But not without serious physical consequences. Kohlhof’s doctors were forced to amputate both his hands (up to his forearms) and half of his feet earlier this week. Had he waited another 48 hours, “he wouldn’t have made it,” his partner Alishpa Masood told news channel KHOU11.
Extremely rare
The cause of Kohlhof’s sepsis and rapid deterioration was attributed to typhus, resulting from a single flea bite. Typhoid can be treated with antibiotics. But if left untreated, it can be fatal. Doctors told the family that the type of typhoid Kohlhof contracted is extremely rare in the US. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flea typhoid is primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates, including areas of the United States such as Southern California, Hawaii and Texas. “Untreated [tyfus] can cause serious illness and damage to one or more organs, including the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain,” warns the CDC. Normally, people bitten by infested fleas seek medical attention after they notice a swelling or rash around the bite, but according to Greg, his brother had no noticeable symptoms until it was too late.
Kohlhof is a volunteer, handyman, art lover and part-time pet sitter, whose passions tragically revolve around his hands. He is still in hospital now, but is expected to make a full recovery.
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2023-07-22 12:27:28
#American #loses #arms #feet #flea #bite
