Louisiana Department of Health officials are warning beachgoers and seafood consumers about a summertime surge in infections from Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria found in warm coastal waters. The state has confirmed nine cases so far this year, resulting in five deaths. All nine patients were hospitalized and each had underlying health conditions.
During the same period over the previous ten years, Louisiana averaged seven cases and one death annually. The current tally represents a marked increase. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacteria occur naturally in brackish and salt water and multiply when temperatures rise between May and October.
Transmission and risk factors
Infection typically enters through unhealed cuts, scrapes, recent piercings, tattoos or surgical incisions exposed to seawater. It can also be contracted by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters. About one in five people with a Vibrio vulnificus infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.
The risk of severe complications is highest among people with liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia. Those receiving immune-suppressing treatment, taking medication that reduces stomach acid, or who have undergone recent stomach surgery also face elevated danger.
Gulf Coast pattern and national context
Florida, which typically records more infections than other states, has reported 14 cases and two deaths so far this year compared with 33 cases and five deaths for all of 2023. Records show case numbers climb in years when tropical storms and hurricanes strike. Louisiana experienced a similar spike last year with 26 cases and five deaths confirmed by September.
Nationally, 150 to 200 cases of Vibrio vulnificus are reported annually in the United States, with approximately half occurring in the Gulf States, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. To date, Louisiana and Florida have seen the greatest number of cases and deaths.
Symptoms of wound infection include fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth around the wound, skin discolouration and drainage. Health officials advise seeking immediate medical care if a wound exposed to salt water becomes red, swollen, painful, warm or discoloured.
To reduce risk, the department recommends staying out of brackish or salt water with open wounds, covering wounds with waterproof bandages if water contact is unavoidable, and washing wounds thoroughly afterward. Seafood should be cooked thoroughly, hands washed with soap and water after handling raw shellfish, and cooked seafood kept separate from raw product.
Based on reporting by Global News.