It’s unclear if the girl has it, but the Internet made sure she got proper treatment.

When a video showing a six-year-old girl getting yanked into the sea by a feisty sea lion went viral this week, her parents quickly received international flak—and some potentially critical health information. The online fuss is raising awareness of a severe infection called seal finger, along with some of the other dangers of messing with sea lions.

The infection, which can lead to severe inflammation and amputations if not properly treated, is rare but well-known to marine life experts and fisherman. It’s caused by Mycoplasma phocacerebrale, a type of bacteria known to live in the mouths of seals and sea lions. Mycoplasma species have several notable features, but a critical one for seal finger is that they’re difficult to kill with many standard antibiotics—something the parents of the snatched six-year-old would clearly want to know. If it weren’t for the Internet, they might not.

The girl, who was swiftly retrieved from the harbor by her quick-thinking grandfather, is reported to have a 5-by-10 centimeter wound on her lower body from her sea lion encounter. Her parents were unaware of the risk of seal finger infection until media reports about the viral video included marine experts, who mentioned the danger. The parents have since consulted with marine experts and doctors. Though it’s not certain that she has the infection, she’s receiving antibiotics as a precaution.

Seal finger has been around for hundreds of years, terrifying fisherman and biologists. Its name came about because most infections occur in people’s hands, either from being bitten or having small cuts become infected while handling seal meat or pelts. But an infection can occur anywhere in the body. It starts off as severe inflammation and can lead to joint damage and unusable body parts. These may eventually require amputation.

The bacteria behind it are unusual. For one thing, they’re very small. Mycoplasma are the smallest known organism capable of self-replicating (viruses require host cells to replicate). They’re also very hard to kill. The bacteria lack an outer cellular wall, which is a common target for antibiotics such as penicillin. There are types of antibiotics that work against these infections, including tetracycline. But you have to know to use them first. Marine animal care takers who get bitten often bring notes from veterinarians to their doctors when they get treated.

Mycoplasma species tend to be picky about where they live, sticking to specific animals. Unless you interact with seals or sea lions, you're unlikely to encounter the type that causes seal finger. Marine biologists strongly caution against playing with or feeding wild sea lions, which are strong, fast, and can become aggressive. So there's plenty of additional reasons to avoid putting yourself at risk.

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