Yes, Flesh-Eating Bacteria Are in the Warm Coastal Waters – but it doesn’t mean you’ll get sick
Most cases tend to be males over 40 years of age and nearly all of them have some sort of underlying chronic health condition, such as liver or kidney disease, alcoholism or diabetes.
Even for high-risk people, simply swimming alongside the bacteria is not enough to make you sick. The bacteria must find a way to get into your body to multiply and cause damage.
For some people, this involves eating food contaminated by the bacteria – typically raw oysters. Oysters eat by filtering out small particles in the water, including bacteria, so they can contain much higher concentrations of Vibrio than the ocean itself. When someone eats a raw or undercooked oyster, the bacteria can multiply in the gastrointestinal tract and cause nausea and abdominal pain.
It can also lead to a life-threatening infection, as bacteria can move from the intestines into the bloodstream and cause an infection throughout the body. Because it spreads so quickly, it can overwhelm the body before the immune system has a chance to stop the infection. Systemic infections are treatable with antibiotics, but it is important that treatment start quickly, as the death rate can be over 50%.
For other people, V. vulnificus can enter through broken skin such as cuts, burns or wounds. Bacteria can multiply under the skin and cause a life-threatening illness commonly known as flesh-eating disease, or necrotizing fasciitis, which can appear suddenly and spread quickly. The infections typically cause a fever and cause the skin to become, red, swollen and painful at the site of infection. The bacteria do not actually “eat” the flesh, but this is what the disease can look like. Between the growth of the bacteria, the production of toxins, and collateral damage from an overwhelming immune system response, large areas of tissue under the skin can die. The infection is treatable with antibiotics, but it is important that treatment is swift.
So What Can We Do About It?
First, avoid eating raw shellfish, especially if you have a weakened immune system due to liver or kidney disease; are on medications, such as steroids, that suppress the immune system; or are diabetic or have cancer. While raw oysters are a popular delicacy, eating any uncooked animal product carries a risk of disease. If you are preparing oysters at home, handle them just as you would any other raw meat. But keep in mind that lemon juice, hot sauce or alcohol do not kill the bacteria and will not protect you if the shellfish is contaminated and that there is no way to identify the contamination by sight or taste.
Another precaution is not to swim with open cuts or wounds, as this provides a direct path for bacteria to enter your body. Avoid the ocean until you heal or cover the wounds with waterproof bandages.
If you are at high risk for infection because a weakened immune system, wear clothing and shoes that will protect you from cuts and scrapes while swimming.
Finally, if you do wind up with a skin infection after swimming in the ocean or gastroenteritis after eating raw shellfish, tell your doctor, as prompt identification and treatment is necessary for this rare illness.
Remember, you don’t need to skip the beach. Just use some common sense measures to protect yourself from infection by V. vulnificus, especially if you are at high risk.
Brian Labus is Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This article is published courtesy of The Conversation.