A BUILDER from Cheltenham died after he became infected with a lethal flesh-eating bug, an inquest heard.

The bottom half of Anthony Slender's body had turned black by the time his family realised how serious his illness had become.

Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore was told Mr Slender, of Seacombe Road, died at the town's general hospital on November 23 last year.

The 45-year-old had been infected with the killer bug necrotising fasciitis.

His sister, Alison Slender, said he had been born in Cheltenham and lived in the town all his life.

She said: "He had a long-term problem with heroin, but for the last three years he had been clean and was taking the substitute methadone under the control of the Gloucestershire substance misuse team.

"When he needed to give blood, he drew it himself from the groin area because his other veins were so badly damaged through the infection of injection sites. He also had an ulcer in his groin which never seemed to heal."

She said a few weeks before his death her brother was violently sick and had diarrhoea, and did not recover.

"Our mother went to see him and when she pulled back the quilt, the lower half of body had turned black," she said.

Doctors did all they could to try to stop the spread of the infection, she added, but they were unable to do so.

Intensive care unit consultant, Dr Caleb McKinstry, said Mr Slender had a history of intravenous drug abuse.

He said: "He had been addicted to crack cocaine, was a heavy smoker and suffered from chronic lung disease.

"He also abused alcohol and had suffered from depression. He had attempted suicide."

When admitted to hospital, he said Mr Slender was already critically ill with a markedly swollen right leg that had been infected with necrotising fasciitis.

He added: "This was a deep-seated infection of the muscle which was causing the death of the tissues, and after a short period of fluid resuscitation, he was taken to the operating theatre and given broad spectrum antibiotics.

"The necrotising fasciitis had caused extensive local tissue damage and this frequently leads to multi-organ failure. The infection causes acute sepsis, and the mortality rate is extremely high."

Despite severe treatment, repeated cleaning of the wound and blood transfusions, Mr Slender suffered from deteriorating organ function.

On November 23 it was decided after discussion with his family that further treatment was futile. He died later that day.

Consultant histopathologist Dr Richard Bryan, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said the cause of death was multi-organ failure caused by necrotising fasciitis leading to sepsis. He said the infection had started in the ulcer in Mr Slender's groin.

Mr Crickmore said by the time Mr Slender had been rushed to hospital he was already critically ill and that three-quarters of the people who were at that stage died as a result of the disease.

He said: "All that had to happen was that he somehow caused a small opening in the ulcer in his groin which microbes could enter. It was unlikely he was going to recover from the resulting infection."

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.