Object

• zombie: The plot revolves around Curt and Julie - Julie dies, comes back to life, then slowly becomes a flesh-eating zombie.

• bug: After all, flu is a real illness that we all have experience of, a far more plausible menace than a flesh-eating bug.

• virus: MULDER: Worse than the time we were attacked by the flesh-eating virus?

• monster: Also, in my future, there's a lot of life out there, and no shortage of flesh-eating monsters.

• bacterium: In the 1990s sensational medical journalists dramatized the whole process of necrotising fascitis by associating it with flesh-eating bacteria.

• disease: On the positive side, there would likely be fewer cases of flesh-eating disease in young children.

Modifies a noun

• bug: The doctors face was grim as he went on to explain that it was the flesh-eating bug which had been reported in the media.

• beetle: The plant emits a stench to attract decaying flesh-eating beetles, flies and sweat bees for pollination.