A US District Court Class action alleges flesh-eating bacteria lurking In cruise lines' hot tubs. Tab Lankford, who was cruising on the ship Carnival Paradise on December 17, 2011, claims he contracted "hot tub folliculitis" from a Carnival whirlpool. The severe infection nearly cost him his leg. "The entire leg turned black and they wanted to amputate," said his attorney, John Billera. After a week in the hospital and $70,000 in medical bills later, Mr. Lankford's leg was saved, but he still bears the scars from the flesh-eating infection. When Mr. Lankford contacted Carnival regarding his infection, he claims a guest relations specialist told him that there were more than fifty other passengers on the same cruise who came down with the same illness from using the hot tubs.