The death of an American, who recently passed away after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria while cleaning crab traps, has sent shock waves across the country, with scientists fearing similar cases could occur in the future.

Michael Funk, 67, who was in Ocean City at the time, died four days after contracting the bacteria.

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The victim's wife, Marcia Funk, told USA Today that he died because there was such little information about the bacteria. Doctors who treated Funk identified the bacteria as Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus and other related bacteria are naturally occurring in warm, brackish water bodies that have low salinity. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), thousands of individuals in the U.S. contract these infections mainly by consuming raw and undercooked seafood.

However, those who contract the most severe cases of the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria-- like Funk --have been less than 100 in the past nine years. 

According to Ars Technica, in July scientists reported that a 59-year-old man showed up at a hospital with a lesion on his ankle. Researchers claimed that the lesion began to expand and within a few hours the number had increased across his body. The victim had contracted the V. vulnificus from warm waters in Mexico, and he succumbed to the infection 48 hours after being admitted to a hospital.

Global warming is thought to be partly responsible for the increasing cases of these infections. According to the National Academy of Sciences, warmer ocean waters are contributing to the spread of the V. vulnificus.

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