Dr. Aileen Marty of Florida International University explains the dangers of vibrio, a deadly flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm waters, which has already claimed four lives in Florida.

Florida

Four people in Florida have died from infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus, a rare flesh-eating bacterium commonly found in warm, salty, or brackish coastal waters. The bacterium's prevalence increases as water temperatures rise, and cases have been growing in recent years, with infections now occurring further north in the United States.

Individuals are at risk of infection through open wounds exposed to contaminated water or by consuming raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. Those with underlying health conditions such as liver disease or diabetes are particularly vulnerable. Symptoms can progress rapidly, so prompt medical attention is advised if exposure is suspected.

Four fatalities from deadly flesh-eating bacteria in Florida

It's a serious situation this time of year. Four people in Florida have died from a rare flesh-eating bacteria that's found in warm coastal waters. What should you know to stay safe? So here to help us learn a little bit more perspective on this is Dr. Eileen Marty, infectious disease expert and professor at Florida International University. Doc, thanks so much for joining us. This is an important topic. Yes, it is. This is a serious bacterial infection and it is a bacterium that lives in warm waters and it proliferates when the water becomes warmer. So every year there tends to be an increase in the concentration because of the warming of the water during the spring, summer and fall. And therefore every year we see cases of Vibrio but the cases have been increasing in recent years as the entire planet has become warmer. And this is particularly poignant in the Northern Hemisphere where temperatures are rising at a faster rate than they are in the Southern Hemisphere. And so we're seeing these Vibrio vulnificus outbreaks going further, further North in the United States as far North as Connecticut. And we've even seen some cases of a very similar bacterium, Vibrio parahumilicus as far North as Alaska. Wow. All right, so you've described regionally who's most at risk. Any other specifics for people who may be most at risk? Sure. You have to have two things into consideration. First is how does that bacteria enter your body and cause the disease? And there's two main ways. One is if you enter salty or brackish water in a time when the, first of all, it's warm and you have some kind of a cut or in your skin, you definitely wanna put a bandage over that cut that's waterproof if you're gonna go in the water and you have a cut. Or if you have eczema so that your skin barrier isn't as protected as normally. That's one of the key ways that it gets in through the water. And we see a lot of these types of problems when there are hurricanes and other storms that bring brackish water to more places and allow for more of these bacteria to concentrate in certain water areas. The second way, and this is a worldwide way in which people get infected with the same bacteria and can have the same or similar symptoms is if they eat raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. Oysters are a phenomenal way of transmitting Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus and many other diseases. I tend to tell my patients, I prefer eating my parasites cooked. So I would shy away from uncooked or undercooked sea products in general. Now, what other factors are in here? Well, other factors include underlying conditions. So the risk of the contamination getting into your body and then causing this sort of horrific flesh eating disease go up if you have liver problems, diabetes, and a number of other underlying conditions. So if you have underlying conditions, you have to be especially wary of those two sources by which you can get infected. And doc, what are some of the symptoms? If somebody thinks that they may have been exposed through a wound or raw seafood, what should they do right away? So first of all, it's really important that you tell your doctor that you suspect that you were exposed because this is not a bacterium that is routinely tested for. And you have to have appropriate antibiotic therapy as quickly as possible. So if you've been in brackish water or salt water that's potentially contaminated and you had a wound and now this wound starts to fester, the lesion looks very, it very rapidly changes and can spread and get into your blood and contaminate your system so that you become septic very, very rapidly. So go see a healthcare provider immediately and tell them that you've been exposed. If on the other hand, you acquired the bacterium because you consumed oysters or other undercooked shellfish, in that case, you may begin with the usual, I don't feel good, nausea, just sort of a sense of unease and that's can be a little bit trickier. So this, the bacterium can then get into, again, your bloodstream and lead to the types of lesions, the same types of lesions that you would have gotten had they come in under a wound. And so if you start to have skin manifestations and these gastrointestinal things immediately, do not pass go, go right to see a healthcare provider and tell them about your concern so that they can quickly test and quickly put you on the right antimicrobials. We appreciate that. So in-depth here as people spend a lot of time in the water here or maybe enjoying some seafood for the rest of this summer season. Dr. Lee Marty, Infectionist, Disease Expert and Professor at Florida International University. We appreciate you for joining us on AccuWeather Early. Great information.

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