A 7-year-old Texas boy who died during a Southern California vacation was killed by flesh-eating bacteria.
On July 9, Tevita Alatini was transported to Camp Pendleton Hospital after his parents spotted a large red spot under the boy's arm. He was presumed to have a severe infection and was then airlifted to Rady Children’s Hospital.
On Wednesday, the San Diego County medical examiner's office says Tevita Alatini died the next day after the infection spread to muscle tissue.
The office didn't say how he might have contracted the infection.
Authorities say the boy also had anemia caused by an autoimmune condition and that contributed to his death.
Alatini had arrived in San Diego on July 7, to visit with other family members who live here.
Two days later, on July 9, his parents noticed a large red spot under his left arm.
On Wednesday the medical examiner’s office confirmed that Alatini’s cause of death was “bacterial (clostridium septicum) necrotizing myositis and dermatitis.” The report lists “autoinmune hemolytic anemia with neutropenia” as contributing conditions to the boy’s death.
Follow NBC7 for the latest news, weather, and events: iPad App | iPhone App | Android App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
