May 31, 2012: TAKEN FROM THE STAR:

MIAMI�A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre, vicious attack faces a bigger threat from infection than from the injuries themselves, according to experts on facial reconstruction. He will require months of treatment to rebuild his features and be permanently disfigured.

Though gruesome, such severe facial injuries are generally not life threatening. The most serious risk to Ronald Poppo as he remained hospitalized Wednesday were germs that may have been introduced by the bites of the naked man who attacked him. One of the 65-year-old�s eyes was also gouged out.

�The human mouth is basically filthy,� said Dr. Seth Thaller, the chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Miami�s Miller School of Medicine.

It�s not clear why Poppo was attacked Saturday afternoon by 31-year-old Rudy Eugene alongside a busy highway. Police have released few details about the attack, but surveillance video from a nearby building shows Eugene pulling Poppo from the shade, stripping and beating him before appearing to hunch over and then lie on top of him.

WATCH:Surveillance video of the attack HERE:

http://www.thestar.com/videozone/1202818--face-eating-victim-identified