BEN West was left in "excruciating pain " and fighting for his life after a flesh-eating bug ravaged his leg - leaving it covered in giant, bursting blisters.

The otherwise healthy 38-year-old was struck by Vibrio vulnificus , a deadly bacteria that began shutting down his organs within days of infection.

The dad had been crabbing and fishing with his children in the coastal waters of Port St Joe, Florida, on August 23 - the same waters where the bug naturally thrives.

Just three days later he became confused and disoriented, so his fiancée, Janie Knowles, rushed him to the Ascension Sacred Heart Bay hospital, where he received the diagnosis.

Soon after, "big blisters" started popping up on his ankle, before creeping up his leg, Janie told WJHG-TV .

“The blisters [were] everywh

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