States are warning beachgoers about a summertime surge in infections from a frightening, flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters
Karrianne Stewart
This combination of photos provided by Karrianne Stewart shows the leg of her husband, Bernie Stewart, in Pensacola, Fla., with a blister at the start of an August 2019 Vibrio infection, and years after decaying tissue was surgically removed. (Karrianne Stewart via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — States are warning beachgoers about a summertime surge in infections from a frightening, flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters.
Vibrio vulnificus are becoming an annual threat along the Gulf Coast and — increasingly — up the Eastern Seaboard.
People should listen to the warnings, said Bernie Stewart, a 65-year-old retired bounty hunter in Florida who counts himself lucky to have survived an infection.
In August 2019, Stewart’s right leg was infected while he was kayak fishing in Pensacola Bay. What at first appeared to be a sun blister led to three months in the hospital, where doctors performed 10 surgeries to remove decaying skin and prevent the bacteria from killing him.
“This ain’t nothing to play with,” Stewart said.
Vibrio bacteria thrive in seawater and in the mix of fresh and saltwater found in estuaries and lagoons. Most infections are reported from May to October, and most happen in states along the Gulf Coast.
The Gulf’s water is “the perfect convergence of the right amount of salt and the right amount of heat to let this organism proliferate,” said Dr. Fred Lopez, an infectious diseases specialist at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.
At least a dozen kinds of Vibrio can cause human illnesses
The nastiest type is Vibrio vulnificus. It accounts for around 200 of the more than 1,000 Vibrio illnesses each year, according to CDC data.
As many as 1 in 5 of those infections are fatal — a much higher rate than other types of Vibrio bacteria.
Some people become infected by eating eat raw or undercooked shellfish — particularly oysters. But a large percentage fall ill when the person is in ocean or brackish water and the bacteria enter the body through small breaks in the skin.
The antibiotics used to treat food poisoning cases don’t work as well when the germ enters through breaks in the skin, Lopez said.
“They may require multiple surgeries to remove dead or infected tissue, and sometimes require amputation,” he said.
Doctors say severe cases are seen more often in elderly patients, people with weakened immune systems, and those with liver disease, diabetes and certain chronic illnesses.
Cases are up in some places, but not all
Louisiana has seen an alarming jump in cases this summer, but other states are not. More cases are expected, as this is peak season for Vibrio vulnificus infections.