BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Nobel Prize-winning physicist and University of Colorado adjutant professor Eric Cornell is reportedly suffering from a rare "flesh-eating" bacterial disease.
The Denver Post said Sunday Cornell is in critical condition after becoming ill last week with necrotizing fasciitis -- an infection caused by bacteria that typically causes strep throat.
Cornell's "condition is treated with aggressive surgery to stop the spread of the bacteria," said a statement from his family.
Cornell, a senior scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, received the Nobel Prize in physics in 2001 with Colorado University Professor Carl Wieman for leading a team in the creation of the world's first Bose-Einstein condensate in 1995. That new form of matter allows scientists to study the small world of quantum physics.
University of Colorado spokeswoman Pauline Hale said Saturday the campus is deeply saddened by Cornell's illness.
"Our thoughts are with him and his family during this difficult time," she said. "Eric is a valued member of our university family and has made enormous contributions to the field of science."
