A rare flesh-eating bacterium has become the plight of three women in metro Atlanta. Last week, the wife of a Gwinnett County police officer had to be hospitalized and is currently battling with the bacteria to survive.

Experts at Emory University have to say that occurrence of the infection is usually random and anyone can be infected by it. However, they said that it is extremely rare to come across cases of the bacterial infection.

Cindy Martinez who has suffered the infection may lose her arms or legs. Martinez could not understand how she contracted necrotizing fasciitis. Martinez’ husband, David Martinez, said that the bacterium is even rarer in people who are as healthy as his wife is.

Tamika Compton from Hall County also has no idea how she contracted the flesh-eating infection a couple months ago.

Dr. Anne Spaulding, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Emory University has to say that everybody is surrounded by bacteria, but they cause no harm to human beings; they only become flesh-eating when get conducive conditions to become so.

Kristie Vessell felt sick on May 7 and was in coma two days later. She came out of coma after 11 days and has just recently got off a ventilator.

She was given 20% chances of survival when she first went in. Jack Vessell told Channel 2’s Craig Lucie that it really gives a scary feeling to have no idea what the next day is going to be like. Kristie Vessell still has to spend several days in hospital to recover.