Shortly after Hurricane Helene’s torrential rains and storm surge subsided, Florida’s Division of Well being had a brand new, however acquainted, downside on their arms. They recorded a rise in reported circumstances of vibriosis, characterised by pores and skin swelling, redness, ache, and blistering on the website of a wound alongside fever and nausea. For some, the an infection has been life-threatening. As of October 25, 2024, there have been 77 circumstances and 15 deaths, up from 46 circumstances and 11 deaths in 2023.
The perpetrator behind these infections is the naturally occurring, waterborne micro organism Vibrio vulnificus. A number of information shops have described V. vulnificus as a “flesh-eating” bacterial species, however consultants say that this description is deceptive. “They do not truly disintegrate your flesh on contact, just like the identify implies,” famous Gabrielle Barbarite-McHenry, a microbiologist and public outreach officer at Florida Atlantic College. Signs throughout late phases of an an infection may cause tissue necrosis across the open wound, however Vibrio can’t break down wholesome, intact pores and skin, even after extended publicity.
Vibrio are a gaggle of marine micro organism that thrive in heat, brackish waters—the place recent water mixes with seawater—just like the estuaries on the coast of Florida. Whereas most species are innocent to people, some, like V. vulnificus, may cause infections.
“They’ve at all times been right here, and so they at all times shall be,” mentioned Barbarite-McHenry. “I like to match them to issues like rip currents and lightning and sharks. It is simply a part of what’s out in nature when [doing recreation] that you just simply want to pay attention to and cautious to forestall an infection.”
Though uncommon, infections can happen when a person with an open wound has extended publicity to water containing excessive ranges of the micro organism or by the consumption of uncooked or contaminated seafood. Inside hours to some days following publicity, people could expertise signs of vibriosis. V. vulnificus infections can change into critical and life-threatening, particularly for people with weakened immune methods.1 If the micro organism spreads to the bloodstream, fever, chills, shock, and dying can happen.
Throughout graduate college, Barbarite-McHenry’s analysis centered on fishermen who have been uncovered to the pathogen within the Indian River Lagoon, an estuary on Florida’s Atlantic coast. For people who died following a extreme case of vibriosis, she mentioned it was at all times the identical story: “They obtained up actually early, they went fishing, that they had a lower, they obtained uncovered, they went residence and took a nap, and by the point they awoke, they have been needing to go to the hospital, and it was too late for therapy. So it is positively a extreme an infection, nevertheless it’s very straightforward to forestall, if individuals know it, or simply proactive on the entrance finish.”
Within the US, Florida has the best variety of vibriosis circumstances, and most infections are reported in the summertime months when water temperatures are the warmest and rainfall is the best. This additionally coincides with hurricane season the place subsequent storm surges and coastal flooding may cause decrease salinities of native water areas, making it extra hospitable for V. vulnificus. “On the west coast, the place we’ve had loads of flooding, that is the place we see infections from storm,” mentioned Barbarite-McHenry.
The latest surge in vibriosis infections shouldn’t be unusual. In September 2022, Florida’s Division of Well being reported an enhance in infections and deaths following Hurricane Ian.2 In a 2023 paper printed in mBio, researchers on the College of Maryland used metagenomics to profile microorganisms current in water and oysters alongside the Florida Gulf Coast following Hurricane Ian.3 Along with V. vulnificus, the workforce recognized a V. parahaemolyticus, one other pathogenic Vibrio species that contributes to circumstances of vibriosis.
The examine additionally confirmed that circumstances of V. vulnificus infections in Florida elevated by five-fold between 1992 and 2022. Many consultants fear that with local weather change coastal communities will proceed to expertise an elevated danger of vibriosis.4,5
“Issues pop up round this time of yr within the headlines, however these micro organism actually are right here year-round,” famous Barbarite-McHenry. “It’s normal for infections to rise this time of yr, however the perfect factor is that they are very straightforward to forestall. Folks simply should be conscious and take the mandatory precautions.”
For extra data on stopping Vibrio an infection (vibriosis), go to the CDC and the FL DOH.
