A man in the US has died after being struck down by a flesh-eating bacteria that infected him as he chased his dog into a pond with a scratch on his arm.

Jeff Bova, 41, died on Friday after being diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis, NBC News reports.

Susan Mc Intyre, Bova’s mother, told NBC 7 San Diego the water got into an open wound, which caused the infection.

However, the flesh-eating bacteria has not been confirmed as the official cause of death.

After her son’s death, Ms Mc Intyre warned people to “stay away from standing water, especially after it rains, because there is just a ton of bacteria in it.”

“If you get any kind of cut and it starts getting red, go to the doctor immediately – don’t wait,” she said.

Ms Mc Intyre said her son did not like going to the doctors and tried to heal himself, but the pain only got worse.

“He developed these really nasty blisters, and he said that it felt … when his arm was oozing, that it was acid coming down his arm,” Ms Mc Intyre added.

After trying to treat the infection with antibiotic cream, Bova eventually went to the hospital but was pronounced dead two days later.

Ms Mc Intyre said her son was engaged to be married and described him as compassionate, selfless and a dog lover.

What is necrotising fasciitis?

The infection is known to be a flesh-eating bacteria and is a rare, yet life-threatening condition that can occur if a wound gets infected.

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The NHS says symptoms of necrotising fasciitis can develop quickly within a few hours or over a few days. These include:

• Intense pain or loss of feeling near a wound.

• Swelling of the skin around the affected area.

• Flu-like symptoms, such as a headache, fever and fatigue.

Symptoms that can occur later include:

• Vomiting and diarrhoea.

• Confusion.

• Black, purple or grey blotches and blisters.

The NHS has said necrotising fasciitis is a very rare disease and that symptoms may be similar to more common skin infections such as cellulitis.

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The Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also said public health experts believed Streptococcus A – widely known as Strep A – is the most common cause of necrotising fasciitis.

Dr Shweta Warner, who specialises in infectious diseases, said that necrotising fasciitis “enters your body through your broken skin barrier, and it quickly reproduces in your tissue, moving through the tissues very rapidly and giving off toxins.”

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