Seawater Bacteria Case Recorded in Manatee County

The number of confirmed cases of Vibrio vulnificus has climbed yet again with the addition of several more illnesses reported in Hillsborough County and one in Manatee.

The Manatee case, the first this year, involved seawater exposure through a wound, said Florida Department of Health press secretary Mara Burger. Manatee County did not have any recorded cases last year, but witnessed two in 2013.

Nearby Hillsborough County is up to five confirmed cases for the year, including three deaths. All five cases, Burger said, have been traced back to wounds exposed to seawater. One of the patients, however, was not exposed locally. Rather, the infection was acquired in Mississippi.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that is found in warm seawater. People can get infected with it in one of two ways: by eating contaminated raw shellfish or through exposure to contaminated water by swimming with open wounds, Burger said.

Here is a breakdown of the number of Tampa Bay area cases as of Sept. 11:

• Hillsborough – 5 cases, 3 deaths
• Manatee – 1 case, no deaths
• Pasco – 1 case, no deaths
• Pinellas – 1 case, 1 death
• Sarasota – 1 case, 1 death

The state has confirmed 30 cases overall for the year and 11 deaths. The most active year in recent history was 2013, which saw 41 cases reported and 12 deaths, state records indicate.

Burger stresses the bacteria doesn’t pose risks for normally healthy people who don’t “have open cuts or wounds” who swim in Florida’s salt or brackish waters.

Vibrio vulnificus is often called the “flesh-eating” bacteria, but that’s not a wholly accurate label, Burger said. Most people who come into contact with the bacteria don’t show severe symptoms. Signs of exposure in normally healthy people include such symptoms as stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains on its website that consumption of contaminated shellfish or open-wound exposure among immunocompromised people, “particularly those with chronic liver disease can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions.”

When open wounds come in contact with Vibrio vulnificus, the CDC says infections that arise “may lead to skin breakdown and ulceration.” When that breakdown of skin tissue occurs, it’s caused by a serious complication, known as Necrotizing Fasciitis. It’s that complication that gives rise to the “flesh-eating” moniker.

“Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare disease that can be caused by more than one type of bacteria,” Burger said. “These include group A Streptococcus (group A strep), Klebsiella, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Aeromonas hydrophila, among others. Group A strep is considered the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio vulnificus and necrotizing fasciitis are not one in the same.”

To find out more about the bacteria and safety measures that can be taken, visit the Florida Department of Health online.

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