Actor Warns of Dangerous Bacterial Infection in Adriatic Sea: 'Easily Transmitted Among Family Members'

Croatian actor Marko Cindrić has issued a stark warning about a bacterial skin infection, impetigo, posing a risk in the shallow waters of the Adriatic Sea. Cindrić himself, along with his two-year-old son Marli and his father, contracted the infection, highlighting its severity and contagious nature.

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People, if your kids have scratches, scabs, wounds... be careful when you take them to swim in the sea. This year the situation with Impetigo in the shallows is terrible. Marli and I were badly affected, and my father really set back. Marli only recovered with antibiotics. As I train, I must have gotten some scratch somewhere, or whatever, and it got me too. I also ended up on antibiotics and have a 2cm hole in my right quadriceps. It's not a harmless bacterium at all. It eats flesh.

Sharing his experience on social media, Cindrić described how both he and his son were severely affected, while his father also suffered significantly. His son required antibiotic treatment to recover. Cindrić noted that he developed a 2cm lesion on his quadriceps, indicating the bacteria can cause deep tissue damage. He emphasized that impetigo is not a harmless condition and can "eat flesh."

Cindrić explained that he had never heard of impetigo before this summer. He detailed that it is a superficial bacterial skin infection typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes. The infection is highly contagious and spreads easily among family members, children in daycare and schools, and through close contact.

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To this summer I had never heard of Impetigo. It's about this: Impetigo is a superficial bacterial skin infection most commonly caused by the bacteria 'Staphylococcus aureus' (golden staphylococcus) and 'Streptococcus pyogenes' (group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus). The infection affects the superficial layers of the skin and is extremely contagious, so it spreads easily among family members, children in kindergartens and schools, and during close contact.

The actor further elaborated that impetigo is more common during warmer months. Factors such as heat, humidity, sweating, and increased social gatherings create favorable conditions for bacterial growth and spread. Minor scratches, insect bites, scraped knees, or pre-existing skin conditions like atopic dermatitis can increase the risk of developing the infection.

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It most often occurs during the warmer months because heat, humidity, sweating, and more frequent group activities favor the multiplication and spread of bacteria.