4 dead after contracting 'flesh-eating bacteria' in Florida this year
Four people are dead, and more than half a dozen are sick, after contracting a rare "flesh-eating bacteria" in Florida this year, state health officials confirmed.
The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, found in saltwater, brackish water and inside raw or undercooked seafood, led to deaths in Bay, Broward, Hillsborough and St. Johns counties, according to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH).
So far in 2025, 11 people contracted Vibrio vulnificus across Florida, with four dying and seven becoming ill, the FDOH reported on July 11.
The FDOH did not specify the source of the new cases or say where the ill contracted the bacteria.
Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacterium that lives in warm, brackish seawater. It's created when fresh water from a river or lake meets seawater, and people contract Vibrio vulnificus by swallowing water with it or getting it in a wound, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Last year in the Sunshine State, there were a record 82 cases and 19 deaths, most of them after October when large areas of the state were flooded by back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton. Vibrio vulnificus requires brackish saltwater to spread.
USA TODAY contacted the CDC on Tuesday, July 15, to see whether people had contracted what it says media reports described as a "flesh-eating bacteria" in other states this year, but has not received a response
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What is Vibrio vulnificus?
Vibrios are bacteria that live in coastal waters, according to the CDC, and some Vibrio species, including Vibrio vulnificus, can cause severe and life-threatening infections.
Infections are rare, according to the CDC.
Nearly 80,000 people get vibrio infections each year, and about 100 people die from the infection annually in the U.S, the CDC says.
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Why is it called 'flesh-eating' bacteria?
Vibrio vulnificus kills, but does not eat tissue. The bacteria cannot penetrate unharmed skin, but can enter through an existing break in it. If the bacteria enter the body through a cut or wound, they can cause necrotizing fasciitis, and the flesh around the infection site dies.
The infected may need intensive care or limb amputations, according to the CDC, and about one in five who get the infection die, sometimes within 24 hours of becoming sick.
Health officials warned people with fresh cuts or scrapes not to enter warm, brackish water because the bacteria can enter the body and cause an infection.
Contributing: Gabe Hauari and Mike Snider/ USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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