US Man Loses Hands And Feet From A Single Flea Bite. Here's How

The fatal illness was caused by the bacterial infection Typhus, which is spread by infected fleas.

One flea bite was all it took for a man from Texas, United States, to develop a terrible illness that led to the amputation of both of his hands and portions of both of his feet.

According to a report by NBC News, 35-year-old Michael Kohlhof began to show flu-like symptoms after the flea bite, including a fever and an upset stomach, last month. A week after the symptoms set in, Michael's condition worsened rapidly.

Once he couldn't get out of bed in late June, his brother Greg said, Michael went to the emergency department at a hospital in San Antonio. He went into septic shock soon after and was transferred to the intensive care unit.