FL Reports 3rd ‘Flesh-Eating Bacteria’ Death This Year: Health Records

BAY COUNTY, FL — A third person in Florida has died after contracting the rare so-called "flesh-eating bacteria" this year.

A person in Bay County died from Vibrio vulnificus, which is typically found in warm, brackish coastal waters, according to data from the Florida Department of Health.

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The death was listed on the health department's website this week.

No information about the death was available, though two cases were reported this year in Bay County, according to the state's Reportable Diseases Frequency Report.

One individual was between 35 and 39 years old, while another who fell ill from the bacteria was between 55 and 59 years old, the report said. The report didn't include their genders.

The two other deaths this year were a person older than 60 in Marion County earlier and a person in Palm Beach County between 80 and 84 years old, data shows.

Since Jan. 1, 17 cases, including the three deaths, have been reported across Florida, according to the health department. The report was last updated Aug. 15.

These cases include two in each of the following counties: Bay, Lee, Marion, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach., the report said.

Single cases were reported in Brevard, Broward, Hillsborough, Okaloosa, Polk, Santa Rosa and St. Johns counties.

In 2025, Florida said 33 cases and 5 deaths, and 82 cases and 19 deaths in 2024.

Other Gulf Coast states are also reporting a surge in Vibrio vulnificus cases, including nine in Louisiana. All nine patients were hospitalized and five died, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release earlier this month.

All nine cases were associated with wounds exposed to seawater, and all patients had underlying health conditions, Louisiana health officials said.

During the previous 10-year period, Louisiana reported seven cases and one death each year.

In Alabama, the Mobile County Health Department reported 10 cases of Vibrio vulnificus so far this year, as of Aug. 3, while three cases have been reported in Mississippi so far this year, health officials there said.

The Vibrio bacteria occurs naturally in coastal waters, and is found more frequently between May and October, when waters are warmer, experts said.

The infections are commonly associated with eating raw or undercooked oysters and other seafood, but also occur when people with open wounds or cuts come in contact with seawater or brackish water where the bacteria are present, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some Vibrio infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies, inspiring the "flesh-eating bacteria" moniker, the CDC said.

The bacteria is also known for causing a human illness called vibriosis. People at greatest risk for illness from the infection are the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, particularly those with chronic liver disease, Florida health officials said.

About one in five people with the infection die, the CDC said.

Signs and symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus infection can include:

• Watery diarrhea, often accompanied by stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
• For bloodstream infection: fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions.
• For wound infection, which may spread to the rest of the body: fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, and discharge (leaking fluids).

The CDC suggests following these precautions:

• Don't eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish.
• If you have a wound (including from a recent surgery, piercing, or tattoo), stay out of saltwater or brackish water, if possible. This includes wading at the beach.
• Cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if it could come into contact with salt water, brackish water, marine life, or raw or undercooked seafood and its juices. This contact can happen during everyday activities, such as swimming, fishing, or walking on the beach.
• Wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water after they have contact with salt water, brackish water, marine life, raw seafood, or its juices.

In addition to occurring naturally in warm coastal waters, Vibrio vulnificus infections have also been associated with hurricanes, storm surges and coastal flooding.