World IN BRIEF : BRITAIN : ‘Galloping Gangrene’ Reportedly Kills 5

A bacterium that eats human flesh in a form of “galloping gangrene” has reportedly killed at least five people, causing near-panic in an area of western England. British doctors believe a mutated form of the streptococcus bacterium, a usually harmless organism that can cause strep throat, is responsible. An epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said among the symptoms of infection by the bacterium is necrotizing fasciitis--a condition that rapidly eats through fat and muscle. “This is not something that is untreatable,” Dr. Benjamin Schwartz said. However, lawmakers from Gloucester said there was anxiety in the area about what one called a “galloping gangrene type of disease.”