Four people in Florida died this year from bacterial infections which can cause “flesh-eaten” injuries, the State Health Department reported this month.
The culprit, the vibrio vulnificus bacteria, prosperous in hot sea water. The fatal cases were observed in the counties spread around the vast coast of Florida, the county of Bay in the county of Panhandle and Hillsborough, where Tampa is located, on the Côte du Gulf, to the county of Broward, in the south-east of Florida and the county of St. Johns, just south of Jacksonville.
Florida has seen 11 cases of Vibrio vulnificus so far this year, according to the state health service. Bacteria can enter the body by wounds open in the skin and kill the surrounding fabric, a affection known as necrotizing fasciitis or a flesh -eating disease, according to the centers for disease control and prevention. People can also get Vibrio vulnificus by eating contaminated foods, especially raw oysters. We do not know how the inhabitants of Florida were infected.
About 1 people out of 5 with a vibrio vulnificus infection, says the CDC.
AntarPreet Jutla, professor of engineering at the University of Florida who is researching Vibrio bacteria, said that Vibrio vulnificus infections are still rare, although they tend to increase after hurricanes. Last year, Florida saw a total of 82 cases, which may have been exacerbated by the “extremely active” hurricanes season.
What is Vibrio vulnificus?
Vibrio vulnificus is one of the 200 species of Vibrio bacteria, said Rita Colwell, professor emeritus of microbiology at the University of Maryland.
The majority of Vibrio infections are not harmful to humans, said Jutla. Some only affect other animals.
But Bacteria Vibrio causes around 80,000 infections in people each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Most of these cases are gastrointestinal. Only a small handful – 100 to 200 cases – is due to Vibrio vulnificus. Other vibrio species, including Vibrio parahaemolyticus and vibrio alginolyticus, are often the cause of these stomach diseases. Another type of vibrio, Vibrio Cholorae, causes cholera diarrheal disease.
Because Vibrio bacteria prefer lukewarm water, they are generally along the southeast shores of the United States, but are also on the west coast. While ocean temperatures warm up, other cases have been found further north in recent years, said Jutla, some of which in New York, Connecticut and Maryland.
Who is at risk?
Vibrio bacteria can slip into open wounds after spending time in salt or brackish water, said Dr. Norman Beatty, infectious doctor of the University of Florida. Most of the cases he has seen have been associated with spending prolonged time in the water, but he says that a brief exposure could be the “only thing necessary”.
The visible signs of an infection can start in a few hours, said Beatty, and include redness, swelling and “Bull’S-Eye” blisters. The site will also be painful. If the infection progresses, it can enter the blood circulation and cause sepsis, which can be fatal. Symptoms of sepsis include fever, chills and dangerously low blood pressure, according to the CDC.
People with liver cirrhosis, weakened immune systems and those over 65 are most at risk of infection, said Jutla.
Vibrio vulnificus infections can be treated with antibiotics.
How to prevent vibrio infections
Beatty said he recommends covering open injuries before entering the ocean. Even a waterproof dressing does the job, he said.
If people think they have an infection, they should ask for care immediately, said Beatty. The delay can make the difference between the development of serious complications and a lighter infection.
“A delay in the presentation to health care is really the likely reason why most people have a more serious result than the others,” he said. “People who present themselves in the same day with signs and symptoms of early infection, which receive antibiotics, can do well and can avoid many of these serious complications.”
