Florida Seawater Bacteria Claims 5th Life

TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Florida Department of Health has confirmed the state’s fourth Vibrio vulnificus bacteria-related death in 2017. Twenty-eight other people have been sickened by the seawater bacteria in counties across the state since the year began, including several from the Tampa Bay area.

The most recent death was confirmed by the state in Collier County. It is currently unclear whether exposure to the bacteria occurred through an open wound or consumption of tainted shellfish. A request for comment from FDOH was not immediately answered. (For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up forreal-time news alerts and newsletters from Clearwater Patch. Click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The four other deaths reported this year involved residents of Lee, Orange, Brevard and Santa Rosa counties.

“Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacteria in raw shellfish and in warm, brackish/salty seawater,” FDOH spokeswoman Mara Gambineri explained in a previous interview. “Vibrio vulnificus exposures occur more commonly during the summer months when water temperatures rise – the majority of our cases occur between May and October. The bacterium does not pose a risk to a normally healthy person and Florida’s beaches and water are safe to enjoy responsibly.”

• See also: Florida’s Deadly Seawater Bacteria: How To Avoid Exposure

People can become infected with Vibrio vulnificus in one of two ways – by eating contaminated raw shellfish and through exposure to contaminated water by swimming with open wounds.

The 33 cases confirmed across the state in 2017 so far are as follows:

• Brevard County – 1 case (fatal)
• Charlotte County – 2 cases
• Citrus County – 2 cases
• Collier County – 5 cases (one fatal)
• Duval County – 1 case
• Escambia County – 2 cases
• Hillsborough County – 3 cases
• Lee County – 4 cases (one fatal)
• Nassau County – 1 case
• Okaloosa County – 1 case
• Orange County – 1 case (fatal)
• Pasco County – 1 case
• Pinellas County – 1 case
• Polk County – 1 case
• Santa Rosa County – 2 cases (one fatal)
• Sumter County – 3 cases
• Volusia County – 2 cases

Vibrio vulnificus is often called the “flesh-eating” bacteria, but that’s not an accurate label, the state has 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.

“People with weakened immune systems, particularly those with chronic liver disease, have an increased risk of infection and should take precautions,” Gambineri said. “Additionally, people with any open cuts, scrapes or abrasions should avoid exposing the wound to seawater to prevent infection.”

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,” Gambineri said in a previous interview. “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.”

In 2016, there were 46 confirmed Vibrio vulnificus-related illnesses across Florida. Ten of those cases resulted in fatalities.

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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