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Flesh eating bacteria increasingly common at America's beaches [1]
['Séamus Bellamy']
Date: 2025-08-06
Vibrio vulnificus is so hot right now… because it's so hot right now. According to a warning released by the Louisiana Department of Health, the flesh-eating bacteria is living its best life in the waters slopping up against the beaches of America's east coast.
Under normal circumstances, vibrio vulnificus is found in brackish or unusually warm seawater. Simply coming into contact with the bacteria isn't enough for it to mess you up: it typically gets into some unfortunate's body through an open wound, or when consumed with raw shellfish. If that open wound gets infected by Vibrio vulnificus, you've got yourself a scorching case of necrotizing fasciitis. If that's not enough to keep you out of the water, some strains of the bacteria can lead to contracting a condition called vibriosis. As a minimum, vibriosis can cause you to suffer the trots, a cramped stomach, and fever. A bad case of it can set the victim up with blistered skin, wicked low blood sugar, and necrotic ulcers.
Fortunately, as scary as this stuff is, there is some good news. You can dramatically lower the risk of infection by ensuring that, if you do go swimming in warm water, any wounds are well-wrapped. Cooking the hell out of your shellfish? That'll do it too. What's more, if you do end up with vibrosis, the odds are good that you'll survive it. The onset of necrotizing fasciitis is pretty rare. More often than not, a bout of vibrosis will gift you a very iffy stomach for a few days.
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