Elizabeth Dinow

Vibrio vulnificus, flesh eating bacteria, has invaded Tampa Bay’s waters, killing five people since January. With about 80,000 cases and 100 deaths in the U.S. every year, there have been about 26 infections reported in Fla. as of Aug. 22.  

Seafood products, such as bottom feeders, containing these pathogens harm consumers when ingested. This is especially relevant for towns located along the Florida coast, including Jupiter. 

“Bottom feeders are going to be the worst kind of seafood to eat. There’s really no way to control it if fish are eating it, it’s also restaurants that are buying seafood, probably shutting restaurants down,” Juliana De Sena, culinary teacher, said. 

Vibrio Vulnificus is not only found in foods containing pathogens, but also in marine waters as well. This bacteria does best in warm and brackish waters, growing in temperatures between 68-105°F (20-41°C).  

“The Bacteria comes from a variety of sources including storm water runoff, pet waste, wildlife and human sewage. So its rain goes into soil, goes out into the water, goes along the coast and is found in the beaches,” Natalie DelloBuono, AICE marine science and environmental management teacher, said. “The tropical climate that we live in is very ideal for bacteria and so it multiplies really really quickly.” 

Studies show one in five people encountering Vibrio Vulnificus have died, although if treated properly and quickly, you can lower these chances. Symptoms are primarily centralized in the bowel movement, with those afflicted experiencing a variety of stomach issues as well as fever, low blood pressure, skin lesions and chills. 

“CDC recommends doxycycline 100mg intravenously or orally twice a day plus ceftazidime (or any other third-generation cephalosporin) 1 to 2g intravenously every 8 hours for the treatment of V. vulnificus infection [5,16,40]. In a retrospective study on 89 V,” The National Library of Medicine, said.

It’s important to be cautious about going in marine waters during the summer time, especially with open cuts and wounds. 

“The only [preventative measure] is testing the waters, that’s why environmental toxicologists are important, they go out into the field and they’re actually testing the quality of the water,” DelloBuono said.