this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2026
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United States | News & Politics

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[–] BigBrownDog@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I was worried until I read the first line:

"A 74-year-old man went to an emergency department in Florida with rapidly rotting limbs after jumping into the waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast."

I won't be stepping foot in Florida and I refuse to swim in the ocean as everything in it wants you dead.

[–] Whirling_Ashandarei@lemmy.world 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ah yes, surely it'll be contained to Florida, the state so very concerned with things like stopping the spread of disease or climate change.

[–] BigBrownDog@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Let them eat limbs

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca -4 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

stepping foot

Bone apple tea!

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Step foot is American for set foot.

[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 weeks ago

Are you sure about that? I couldn't find it in any dictionary.

[–] Epp@lemmus.org 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Look at this person, putting American vernacular up on a petty stool.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca -3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They often get English wrong.

[–] BigBrownDog@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

We didn't invent it. We made it less stuffy though. Black Americans made it cool.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 weeks ago

"Bone apple tea" is nonsense.

"Stepping foot" literally describes what is happening, just with a different wording.

It's like the difference between calling a "ladybug" a "ladybird" - it's basically just regional dialect.

[–] BigBrownDog@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

People say that shit all the time, quit trying to feel smart online.

[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's a boring malapropism, like when people say "chomping at the bit" (instead of "champing").

[–] BigBrownDog@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

It's not like I said "irregardless" or used "orgasm" instead of "organism".

[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Good thing we're making the planet warmer so the absolute horrors nature cooks up where it's warm can expand their range.

[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

These bacteria, the fungi, and slow-release viruses frozen under us are going to be so fun though! Aren’t you excited for (more) daily new abhorrant news as time passes?

[–] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The horrors persist, but so do I.

[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

They’re hardly getting started, while you’re on the inevitable decline.

[–] marcie@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

the water is becoming so acidic and bacterial near florida its killing off sea borne mammals because its too caustic for their skin and for their prey species

https://studyfinds.com/mysterious-deaths-dolphins-florida-indian-river-lagoon/

[–] BluntRadical@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Sure does.

Always give yourself a pat down after going in to nature. Whether it's flesh eating bacteria from water, lyme disease from a tick, a little gnome hitching a ride — better to just play it safe and give yourself a twice-over.

[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So you know exactly where the bacteria is eating your flesh…

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago

Ideally the concept is to pat yourself down and find your tiny cuts, clean them, and then monitor them. That way you won't be totally blindsided by it suddenly growing red and swollen.

That being said, yeah even finding and cleaning the cuts isn't foolproof — just like finding the tick that bit you may not stop you from getting Lyme disease.

[–] limonfiesta@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Pure nightmare fuel.

I don't usually like reading medical body horror, and that reminded me why.

[–] SethDove@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The Gulf of Mexico (!) is a toilet.

[–] lemonSqueezy@lemmy.world -1 points 2 weeks ago

You mean Gulf of America ? :()

[–] Nusm@peachpie.theatl.social 5 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I’m not saying that this isn’t true, but when I google it, every other article or report points back to this one. There’s no specific beach that he was at, just “Gulf Coast”, and no specific hospital. It just makes me suspicious when there’s only one article to be found.

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Did you follow the link in the article to the NEJM report?

[–] Nusm@peachpie.theatl.social 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I missed the link in the article. I went back and tried to read it, but its paywalled. But yes, a link to an article in the NEJM legitimizes it. I visit the Gulf Coast of Florida, and I wanted to know where this happened. When I wasn’t able to find any location, it made me question whether this was legitimate.

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Missing the link would definitely prevent one from following it. Lol

I didn't worry about the legitimacy much because ars tech is pretty good about those things I knew there had to be a link in there somewhere. It was easy to miss so I don't fault you

[–] Einskjaldi@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Generally these cases are always going to be rare and it's an elderly or immunocompromized person, and they probably had a small cut. It requires a confluence of factors. If you were there your immune system would probably just push them out easily.

[–] Goferking0@ttrpg.network 3 points 2 weeks ago

Wasn't this one or two episodes of House?

[–] Juice@midwest.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

This is why DeSantis is governor of Florida, if he or someone just like him wasnt governor, they might feel compelled to do a damn thing about it

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

nightmare fuel

[–] butsbutts@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

would they prefer something in orange