Florida Seawater Bacteria Cases, Deaths Rise

The number of Florida deaths attributed to Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in 2015 has climbed to 11 with three of those coming from Hillsborough County alone.

As of Friday, Aug. 28, the state has confirmed 25 cases in 2015. There were 32 confirmed cases overall and seven deaths in 2014.

The most recent case occurred in Levy County. The person there recovered. The cause of contamination is not clear in that case, but Florida Department of Health officials say all three Hillsborough County deaths are attributed to seawater exposure. One patient, however, did not contract the illness from local waters. That person was exposed in Mississippi.

“Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that normally lives in warm seawater,” Mara Burger, the department’s press secretary, explained. “Vibrio vulnificus infections are rare.”

Burger said people can get infected with Vibrio vulnificus in one of two ways – by eating contaminated raw shellfish or through exposure to contaminated water by swimming with open wounds. Vibrio bacteria tend to be especially active in the warmer months.

“We traditionally see an increase in Vibrio vulnificus cases from May to October,” Burger said.

Other Tampa Bay area cases have included one illness in Pasco County, one death in Pinellas and one death in Sarasota County. There have been no cases reported in Manatee County so far this year.

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 an entirely 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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