What is Vibrio Vulnificus?

JUST AS BEACH SEASON IS ABOUT TO PICK UP THROUGHOUT FLORIDA, AT LEAST 5 CASES OF A FLESH EATING BACTERIA HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED, INCLUDING ONE IN LEE COUNTY. THE CDC SAYS MOST PEOPLE ARE INFECTED BY EATING RAW OR UNDERCOOKED SHELLFISH LIKE OYSTERS. BUT IN FLORIDA, HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN THAT A SPIKE IN CASES IS LINKED TO THE AFTERMATH OF MAJOR STORMS LIKE HURRICANES FOLLOWING HURRICANE IAN IN 2022, THE CDC REPORTED A SPIKE IN LEE AND COLLIER COUNTIES. 38 CASES AND 11 DEATHS LINKED TO THIS BACTERIAL INFECTION IN 2024. AFTER HURRICANE HELENE, THE STATE OF FLORIDA SAW A RECORD 82 CASES AND 19 REPORTED DEATHS IN 2025. NO HURRICANES MADE LANDFALL AND THE NUMBER OF CASES DROPPED ALMOST 60% TO 33, 5 DEATHS WERE REPORTED, INCLUDING ONE IN LEE COUNTY. >> DR NORMAN BEATY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. >> JOIN ME TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THE FLESH EATING BACTERIA AND WHO IS AT RISK. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> YOU THEN, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> CAN YOU FIRST EXPLAIN WHAT IS THIS SO-CALLED FLESH EATING BACTERIA? >> WELL, THE ONE WHERE THE MOST ABOUT IS KIND OF A REAL MOMENT. THE GUESTS THIS ORGANISM IS FOUND IN ESTUARY WATERS NEAR OUR COASTLINES AND THE GOLF AND SOMETIMES IN THE ATLANTIC SIDE THAT IS THAT BACTERIA IS FOUND IN THESE WATERS. IT'S ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT CRUSTACEANS AND IT'S NATURALLY OCCURRING HERE. BUT YOU KNOW, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, CASES OF AN INCREASE AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA IN CERTAIN AREAS AND WE JUST WANT TO BE BRINGING AWARENESS TO THIS INFECTION BECAUSE SUMMER'S HERE RATHER BE ON THE WATERS AND ENJOYING THEM. BUT WE NEED TO BE JUST MITIGATING SOME ARRESTS AND BEING PREPARED IF WE WERE TO GET INFECTED. >> WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON WAY SOMEONE WOULD GET SICK FROM THIS? >> YEAH, THAT'S THE MOST COMMON QUESTION THAT I CAN'T AT THIS TIME. IT CAN GET THE MOST COMMON WAY THAT PERSON WILL BE INFECTED IS THROUGH A WOUND. THE WOUND EITHER IS ACQUIRED IN THE WATER OR YOU HAVE A WORD AND YOU GO INTO THE WATER. BUT IT'S IN THE BACTERIA ENTERS THAT WOUND AND THE INFECTION SETTLES IN. IT CAN TAKE SEVERAL HOURS, SOMETIMES EVEN A DAY OR 2. BUT THE ONE THING ABOUT THE THE RIVER ON IT BECAUSE INFECTIONS OF THE WOUNDS IS THAT THEY CAN BECOME RAPID AND THEM. THAT'S ONE THING I'D LIKE TO TALK TODAY ABOUT. >> WHY DO THESE CASES SURGE AFTER MAJOR STORMS? >> YEAH, YOU KNOW THE WATER THAT'S NORMALLY FOUND AGAIN IN OUR ESTUARIES. THERE ARE MANGROVES THERE. YOU KNOW, THE TITLE POOLS, THE TITLE, THEN SOME OF THE CLIMATE RELATED SURGES ARE STORMS ARE JUST PUSH THAT WATER ON TO THE LAND. AND WE'RE JUST MORE INCLINED TO INTERACT WITH THE NOW. SO NOW WHEN WE HAVE THESE EVENTS, THESE WEATHER EVENTS WERE AND OUR COMMUNITY WERE CLEANING UP. WE'RE TRACKING TO THIS WATER ACTUALLY GO INTO THE WATER TO, YOU KNOW, FOR A BOATER SOMETHING. AND AT THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THIS WATER HAS BEEN DISTURBED AND THE BACK TO WHERE, YOU KNOW, FOUND IN AREAS WHERE THEY NORMALLY WOULDN'T BE FOUND AS WELL AS WE ARE IN THE WATER AS WELL. >> AND COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FATALITY RATE AND WHY IT IS HIGH? >> WELL, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE VERY REAL INFECTIONS HAVE. HIGHER MORTALITY THAN OTHER KIND OF SKIN AND SOFT TISSUE INFECTIONS IS THE PROPENSITY OF THIS ORGANISM TO GET IN YOUR BLOODSTREAM AND CAUSE SEPSIS AND SEPTIC SHOCK AND ALSO THE HOW RAPID DOES. MOVE UP AN EXTRA MONEY OR TRAVEL WITHIN THE TISSUES OF THE BODY. AND WHAT WE OFTEN SEE IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE. SO THEIR OUTCOMES IS A JUST A DELAY IN SEEKING MEDICAL ATTENTION. AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE NOW FIGHTING THIS INFECTION. WHEN IT ENTERED THE BLUNDERS, KONTA DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY. AND THAT IS THAT IS WHY CAN BE SO DANGEROUS. SO A LOT OF SKIN AND SOFT TISSUE INFECTIONS OFTEN GO INTO OUR BLOODSTREAM WITH THIS ONE. CAN AND AND THAT'S WHY, AGAIN, IT'S A BIT MORTALITY IS HIGHER THAN OTHER TYPES OF INFECTIONS TO SEE. >> AND THAT'S WHY RECOGNIZING THOSE SYMPTOMS ARE SO IMPORTANT. CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS, WHICH IS SOMEONE LOOK FOR? >> YES, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT DISCUSSION TO HAVE ONE. IF YOU HAVE A WOUND TO HIS HEAD AND EITHER IT ACQUIRED IN THE WATER SOUTH, HENRI OR YOU WENT INTO THE WATER WITH THAT WORD. YOU WANT TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THAT ONE FOR REDNESS THAT SURROUNDS IT, NEW PAIN THAT MAY BE PRESENT AND AND SWELLING. AND THIS CAN MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY OVER SEVERAL HOURS. YOU MAY SEE THAT THE THE REDNESS HAS EXPANDED DOUBLED IN SIZE AND THAT IS DEFINITELY A KEY FEATURE OF THIS. WE WANT TO GO TALK TO A DOCTOR ABOUT THIS. ANOTHER IMPORTANT FEATURE IS A BLISTER OR WHAT WE CALL A THAT WILL FORM NEAR THE WOUND. AND THAT IS A HALLMARK OF THIS TYPE OF INFECTION. AND THE PROXIMATE TO SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL ATTENTION. BUT AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. I ALWAYS ASK THEM TO TELL PATIENTS AND THE PUBLIC TOO. TO INFORM A PROVIDER HEALTH CARE PROVIDER THAT THEY'VE BEEN IN THE WATER. THEY'VE BEEN AND WRECKAGE, WATER, SALT WATER. AND THIS ONE WAS EXPOSED TO SO WATER JUST SO THAT THERE'S SOME OF THE MORE AWARENESS THAT THIS COULD BE AT THEIR RULING FACTION AND WE MAY WANT TO TAKE IT A LITTLE MORE SERIOUSLY. >> WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM GETTING IT? >> WE'LL BE MINDFUL OF YOUR ACTIVITIES. BE MINDFUL OF THE BREACHES IN THE SCANNER. ABRASIONS CUTS, YOU KNOW, AND THEN DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE GOING OUT, WADE FISHING, YOU KNOW, TOMORROW WOULD WANT TO JUST ENSURE THAT YOUR FEET ARE PROTECTED. YOU FROM STEPPING ON AND WASTE OR OR ACQUIRE CUT WIRE WAITING IN THE WATER. SO JUST BE MINDFUL OF DEVELOPING ANY CUTS OR ABRASIONS AS WELL AS IF YOU DO HAVE A CUT OR AN ABRASION. KEEP IT COVERED. SOMEHOW, NO CLEAR DAY, SOME SORT OF ADVANTAGE ON IT THAT CAN PREVENT THE WATER FROM TOUCHING IT AND OR JUST AVOIDING THE WATER ON CNN TOO. AND HEALS. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE IMPORTANT ASPECT TO STAY PROTECTED. >> ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU OUR OUR AUDIENCE TO KNOW ABOUT THIS? IT'S IS A PRETTY IMPORTANT TOPIC TO DISCUSS. I KNOW WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE CONFIRMED CASE IN LEE COUNTY RIGHT NOW WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE? OUR AUDIENCE TO KNOW? >> YES, I ALWAYS WANT TO PROMOTE. I'M GOING OUT AND ENJOYING THEM. YOU KNOW, THE FLORIDA BEACHES IN OUR WATERWAYS. WE'RE JUST BEING MINDFUL OF THESE RISKS OF WOUNDS AND KEEPING THEM PROTECTED AS WELL AS IF YOU HAVE AN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED. THE CONDITION ALSO BE BE CAUTIOUS WITH WITH HAVING WOUNDS AND HAVING EXPOSURE TO THE TO THIS WATER. SO, YOU KNOW, WE IN FLORIDA, YOU KNOW, WE DO SEE OUR CASE IS STARTING TO RISE THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND INTO EARLY FALL. AND IF WE'RE ABLE TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION EARLY, WE CAN TREAT THESE CASES AND THEY WON'T END UP BECOMING SO SEVERE AND THEN PLACING SOMEBODY IN A AT THAT RISK. >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. DOCTOR. >> NO ONE FROM EVERYBODY.