Rare Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills 8; What You Need To Know In FL

FLORIDA — Health officials are warning of a rare flesh-eating bacterium known as Vibrio vulnificus, found naturally in warm coastal waters, that has killed at least eight people along the East Coast this summer.

Two people died in Connecticut and another on Long Island after becoming infected, health officials in both states said this week. Five people have died in Florida so far this year, with 25 cases reported, according to state health officials.

Last year, the Sunshine State saw 74 cases of flesh-eating bacteria infections with 17 deaths — the highest number of cases since the Florida Department of Health began tracking them in 2008.

The abnormal increase in Vibrio vulnificus cases last year was caused by Hurricane Ian. The bacteria thrive in floodwaters like those that inundated several Florida counties after the Category 4 storm made landfall in September. Lee and Collier counties, the two counties hardest hit by the powerful storm, saw the highest numbers of cases in 2022.

So far this year, Escambia and Hillsborough counties have seen the most cases with four each, FDOH data shows.

Related Stories:

• FL Man Bitten By Relative Nearly Loses Leg To Flesh-Eating Bacteria
• Flesh-Eating Bacteria Infecting FL Residents Post-Hurricane Ian
• Flesh-Eating Bacteria Found In Giant Seaweed Bloom Washing Up In FL

Vibrio infections are commonly associated with eating raw or undercooked oysters and other seafood, but also occur when people with open wounds or cuts come in contact with seawater or brackish water where the bacteria are present, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Three people in all were hospitalized recently in Connecticut after becoming infected. Two of the three Vibrio vulnificus infections reported in that state were wound infections not associated with seafood. The third infection was a Connecticut resident who consumed raw oysters at an out-of-state establishment.

The bacteria is “extraordinarily dangerous,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said after a Long Island resident died as a result of the infection.

People infected by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria often require intensive care or limb amputations, and about one in five die, often within a day or two of becoming ill, according to the CDC.

People at greatest risk for illness from the infection are those with weakened immune systems and the elderly. Some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies, inspiring the “flesh-eating bacteria” moniker. The necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than one type of bacteria, according to the CDC.

Signs and symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus infection can include:

• Watery diarrhea, often accompanied by stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
• For bloodstream infection: fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions.
• For wound infection, which may spread to the rest of the body: fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, and discharge (leaking fluids).

The CDC suggests following these precautions:

• Don’t eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish.
• If you have a wound (including from a recent surgery, piercing, or tattoo), stay out of saltwater or brackish water, if possible. This includes wading at the beach.
• Cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if it could come into contact with salt water, brackish water, marine life, or raw or undercooked seafood and its juices. This contact can happen during everyday activities, such as swimming, fishing, or walking on the beach.
• Wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water after they have contact with salt water, brackish water, marine life, raw seafood, or its juices.

Besides occurring naturally in warm coastal waters, Vibrio vulnificus infections have also been associated with hurricanes, storm surges and coastal flooding.