Latest news with #flesheatingbacteria
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Deadly 'flesh-eating bacteria' can thrive at the beach. How to stay safe.
A rare "flesh-eating bacteria" that lives in warm saltwater has led to at least four deaths this year, but some simple safety precautions can keep you safe while on vacation. The bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, most often causes infection through open wounds and the consumption of undercooked or raw seafood. That has caused worries for some vacationers and residents in the Gulf Coast, especially in Florida where infections are most prevalent. Earlier this month, the Florida Department of Health said the bacteria led to four deaths in four counties across the state and made at least seven people ill in 2025. Vibrio vulnificus is not the only microscopic threat sparking worry among swimmers and vacationers. A children's hospital in South Carolina recently confirmed one of its patients died of Naegleria fowleri, a "brain-eating amoeba" that thrives in warm fresh water sources like lakes and streams. While Vibrio vulnificus and the rarer Naegleria fowleri don't share much in common, both are fueled by warm temperatures and may be becoming more prevalent due to climate change, studies show. Here's how you can limit your risk of exposure to these dangerous infections. How to avoid Vibrio vulnificus First, the good news: infections are rare, with an an average of 150 to 200 cases reported each year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most of them in Gulf Coast states. And while the "flesh-eating bacteria" can be deadly, Vibrio vulnificus does not technically eat tissue. If the bacteria enters the body through a cut, scrape or wound, it can cause necrotizing fasciitis, and the flesh around the infection site could die. The bacteria cannot penetrate unharmed skin and can only can enter through an existing break. Most infections occur when people swallow contaminated water or get it in an open wound. Another source of infection is contaminated raw or undercooked seafood, especially shellfish such as oysters. Below are some tips to avoid Vibrio vulnificus, according to the Florida Department of Health and the CDC. Stay out of saltwater and brackish water (fresh water mixed with saltwater) if you have an open wound or cut. If you get a cut while you are in the water, leave the water immediately. If your open wounds and cuts could come in contact with salt water, brackish water or raw or undercooked seafood, cover them with a waterproof bandage. Cook shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels) thoroughly. Avoid cross-contamination of cooked seafood and other foods with raw seafood and juices from raw seafood. Always wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw shellfish. Seek medical attention right away for infected wounds. How to avoid catching a brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri is often called a "brain-eating amoeba" because it can infect the brain and destroy brain tissue, according to the CDC. The agency says if water contaminated with the amoeba reaches the brain through the nose, it can cause a rare but deadly infection. From 2011 to 2022, the CDC received reports of about 40 infections nationwide. The amoeba can be found in warm fresh water sources but has been detected in poorly maintained pools, splash pads and even tap water. Here are some tips on how to avoid Naegleria fowleri. When jumping or diving into fresh water, hold your nose or wear a nose clip. In hot springs, keep your head above water. Don't dig in shallow water because the ameba is more likely to live there. Use distilled or boiled tap water when rinsing your sinuses or cleansing your nasal passages. Remember: You cannot get infected from drinking water where the ameba is present, it can only cause infection through the nose. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Thao Nguyen, Gabe Hauari and Mike Snider, USA TODAY; Nina Tran, Greenville News; C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network - Florida This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Flesh-eating bacteria' at Florida beaches? How to say safe.
Fox News
16-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Four people dead in Florida from flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters
A type of flesh-eating bacteria has killed four people in Florida so far this year. The state's health department confirmed the deaths in a notice posted on the Florida Health website. A total of 11 people have contracted the bacteria in 2025, according to the same source. Vibrio vulnificus is part of a wider group of Vibrio bacteria, which are found in coastal waters, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states. This specific bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus, typically lives in warm, brackish seawater, and can enter open wounds when people are swimming. Another potential source of infection is raw shellfish, especially oysters, Florida Health noted. Although infections are rare, Vibrio vulnificus can cause an illness called vibriosis, often marked by vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, as well as potentially severe skin infections, the above source cautioned. Signs and symptoms of a Vibrio skin infection include fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration and discharge, per the CDC's website. While healthy people generally experience only mild symptoms, those who are immunocompromised or have chronic liver disease can face serious health risks. If Vibrio vulnificus enters the bloodstream, it can cause severe illness marked by fever, chills, septic shock and blistering skin lesions, according to Florida Health. About half of these bloodstream infections are fatal. Some severe cases can cause an infection called necrotizing fasciitis, which is when the flesh around an open wound dies, the CDC cautions. This rare side effect has led to Vibrio vulnificus being described as a "flesh-eating bacteria." No cases of person-to-person transmission have been reported, Florida Health stated. The bacterial infection is diagnosed by testing cultures obtained from stool, wounds or blood, according to health officials. For mild infections, the CDC recommends increasing fluid intake to prevent dehydration. Those with severe or prolonged infections should receive antibiotics to improve survival rates. For those with infected wounds, surgery may be necessary to remove dead tissue. "Aggressive attention should be given to the wound site; for patients with wound infections, amputation of the infected limb is sometimes necessary," Florida Health stated. About one in five people will die from the infection, sometimes within a day or two of illness, the CDC states. Health officials caution against entering warm saltwater or brackish water if any fresh cuts, scrapes or wounds are present. It's also recommended to not consume raw oysters and other raw shellfish, and to avoid cross-contamination of other foods with raw seafood or its juices. Protective gloves should be worn when handling raw shellfish. Those with liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia (a group of hereditary blood disorders) — as well as those who are taking immune-suppressing medications — are at a higher risk of complications and should take extra precautions, the CDC warns. For more Health articles, visit In 2024, a total of 82 cases of Vibrio vulnificus and 19 deaths were reported to Florida Health. There were 46 cases and 11 deaths in 2023.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My Friday night glass of wine triggered hideous bug that ravaged my body leaving me oozing pus from my groin to my foot
A GRAN admits she thought nothing of a tiny cut from a smashed wine glass - until she developed a "flesh-eating bug" that "ravaged" her body. Susan Sztybel had opened her kitchen cupboard to grab two wine glasses for her and her partner David Farmer, 69, when one fell out and smashed on the floor. 7 7 7 In the process, the 67-year-old said a shard of glass caught her right foot leaving a small one-inch cut in her skin on March 28. After the mum-of-three put plasters over the scratch, she went to bed and thought nothing more of it. But 24 hours later, Susan says she began to feel feverish as her cut began to bleed and ooze pus, so she went to Alexandra Hospital in Redditch to have it checked out. The carer was then transferred to a specialist team at Worcester Royal Hospital to be treated for sepsis, strep A, and cellulitis - which developed into a flesh-eating bacteria. By this point, Susan claims the infection had crept up her right leg into her groin and was told by doctors her chance of survival was low. She then underwent debridement surgeries to scrape as much of the "flesh-eating bug" out of her foot and was then put on a vac machine to suck the infection out of her skin. Due to the medication and the severity of her illness, the support worker claims she saw the "pearly gates" in hospital and feared she would die. Thankfully, doctors were able to save her life and foot and after more than a month in hospital, she is recovering at her partner's house. Susan is now keen to raise awareness about what happened to her to show how one small cut from a piece of glass almost cost her her life. Susan, from Stourport-on-Severn in Worcestershire, said: "On Friday night I got home and I opened the cupboard and this glass fell out and smashed. "I was just going to have a glass of wine with my partner to celebrate the weekend coming in. "It was a wine glass that smashed. My partner cleaned up the glass and I wiped my one-inch cut on my foot [from the glass] and put a plaster on it and thought no more of it. "[On Saturday], I carried on with my shift at work as a living carer. I knew I had done something to my ankle at this point as it was a bit sore. "24 hours later I felt a little bit sick and hot and then within a couple of hours I was feeling sick and was sweating and felt really poorly. "I didn't realise the seriousness at this point. I thought I just had a bug and I never imagined it was to do with my cut. "Someone took over my shift and at this point I was feeling very faint and my cut was oozing. I didn't realise the seriousness at this point. I thought I just had a bug and I never imagined it was to do with my cut Susan Sztybel "It was oozing and there was lots of clear blood and puss. My foot felt like it was pulsating. "Within 48 hours the infection had crept up my leg into my groin and this is when they said doctors would have to operate and they didn't know if I was going to survive. "All I kept saying was please save me. I didn't care if I lost my leg. "They say you see the pearly gates. In the next few days, I saw those pearly gates. I was hallucinating. "It was a flesh-eating bug which was ravaging through my skin and leg and I was fighting to keep alive. "I had to lay down with my leg higher than my heart for 23 hours a day and was only allowed to sit up to eat." It was a flesh-eating bug which was ravaging through my skin and leg and I was fighting to keep alive Susan Sztybel After more than a month in hospital, Susan was transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where she underwent plastic surgery on her foot on May 5th. While she has been told her foot may never look the same again, doctors have said she will not suffer any long-term effects from the infection. Susan said: "In the early days, I was told by a doctor that they couldn't believe I had survived so far as my infection marker was so high and I was very poorly. "Your infection marker should be at five and mine was 500 and you shouldn't survive with this. "I kept praying and hoping and I'm here to tell the tale. I defeated the odds. "They kept digging away at my ankle and had taken so much out I needed plastic surgery. 7 7 7 7 "They took skin from my thigh which is the donor site and put this on my ankle." The grandma-of-eight is now urging people to get their cuts checked out straight away if they believe them to be infected. Susan said: "A tiny, little one-inch cut that was clear and only needed a plaster on it turned into something so massive. "If this saves other people going through what I've gone through and saves their limbs and their lives, it's worth it. "I would tell people to act straight away [if they are concerned about a cut]. I didn't because I didn't think it was anything to worry about at first." Necrotising fasciitis Necrotising fasciitis, also known as the "flesh-eating disease", is a rare and life-threatening infection that can happen if a wound gets infected. It needs to be treated in hospital straight away. Symptoms can develop quickly within hours or a few days. At first, a person may have: intense pain or loss of feeling near to a cut or wound – the pain may seem much worse than you would usually expect from a cut or wound swelling of the skin around the affected area flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headache and tiredness Later symptoms can include: being sick (vomiting) and diarrhoea confusion black, purple or grey blotches and blisters on the skin (these may be less obvious on black or brown skin) Call 999 or go to A&E if: you have a cut or wound that is much more painful than you would expect you have a cut or wound and get symptoms like a high temperature, headache, tiredness and muscle aches you have sudden confusion you have black, purple or grey blotches or blisters near a cut or wound Don't drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance. Source: NHS
