CDC Warns About ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria In East Coast Waters—Experts Explain The Risk

Flesh-eating bacteria sounds like something out of a horror movie. But unfortunately, it’s a real thing. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning healthcare providers to be on the lookout for it.

The CDC’s health alert, which was released late last week, urges doctors to watch for symptoms of vibrio vulnificus bacteria infection, which can cause a flesh-eating disease, after six people in Connecticut, New York, and North Carolina developed “severe and fatal” infections in July and August. “Many of these infections were acquired after an open wound was exposed to coastal waters in those states,” the alert reads.

Just a quick note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria can cause serious wound infections that can lead to a condition known as necrotizing fasciitis, aka flesh-eating disease—that’s why it’s often called “flesh-eating bacteria.”

The alert continued: “Amid increasing water temperatures and extreme weather events—e.g., heat waves, flooding, and severe storms—associated with climate change, people who are at increased risk for V. vulnificus infection should exercise caution when engaging in coastal water activities. Prompt treatment is crucial to reduce mortality from severe V. vulnificus infection.”

Meet the experts: Amesh Adalja, MD, is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. William Schaffner, MD, is an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. John Sellick, DO, is an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo/SUNY. William Schaffner, MD, is an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

If you live near water on the East coast or are planning a trip in the near future, it’s more than understandable to have questions about what vibrio vulnificus is, and how you can stay safe.

Women’s Health interviewed four infectious disease experts break it down.

What causes flesh-eating bacteria?

Flesh-eating bacteria is actually a broad term, says Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

“There are many types of bacteria that have that capacity,” he says. “For example, Group A strep is a major cause of flesh eating infections, as is clostridium perfringens, which causes gangrene. These are bacteria that live in on our bodies.”

But there are other types of flesh-eating bacteria like vibrio vulnificus, which lives in brackish and salt water, he says. And that’s what the CDC is warning folks about.

What is vibrio vulnificus?

Vibrio vulnificus is bacteria that naturally lives in coastal waters, the CDC explains. Most people get infected with vibrio by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, like oysters, but some people get infected when an open wound is exposed to salt water or brackish water that contains vibrio, per the CDC.

Lately, there has been an increase in cases of vibrio vulnificus infections through open wounds, per the CDC. People with diabetes, liver disease, and other immunocompromised conditions are the most at risk of developing wound infections, the CDC says.

Where is flesh-eating bacteria found?

In the case of vibrio vulnificus, it’s often found in brackish (places where sea and freshwater mix, like where a river flows into the ocean) and salt water. It tends to be more common around the Gulf coast of the U.S., the CDC explains.

However, cases of V. vulnificus infections have jumped eightfold from 1988 to 2018, per the CDC, and the northern range of where these infections are detected has increased around 30 miles a year.

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How do you catch vibrio vulnificus?

“Vibrio vulnificus is acquired either by exposure in water that harbors the organism usually through a break in the skin, or through ingestion of oysters that have concentrated the bacteria within them,” Dr. Adalja says.

Some people may contract an infection from shucking oysters or if they get a cut on their foot from a shell while walking in water, says John Sellick, DO, is an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the University at Buffalo/SUNY.

How contagious is flesh-eating bacteria?

While you can pick up vibrio vulnificus if you have a cut or wound and you go swimming in waters where the bacteria is present, it’s not something that jumps from person to person. Flesh-eating bacteria “is not a communicable disease when caused by vibrio,” Dr. Adalja says.

The CDC also makes a point to say that person-to-person transmission has not been reported.

What does a flesh-eating bacteria infection feel like?

If vibrio vulnificus gets into an open wound, it may cause an infection, says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

“The area will get puffy, red, and will often hurt,” he says. “You may develop a fever and get discharge from the wound.”

As you can imagine, this doesn’t feel great. “The process can be very painful,” Dr. Adalja adds.

What does a vibrio vulnificus skin infection look like?

The bacteria itself can’t be seen with the naked eye. However, V. vulnificus wound infections are characterized by dead patches of skin that may change from pale to red or bronze before turning purple and having large blisters, the CDC says.

“If you’re completely healthy and you’re exposed to vibrio vulnificus, either nothing is going to happen or you’ll have cellulitis or redness around where the injury was,” says Dr. Sellick. “But in people with medical problems, especially liver disease, this can become very aggressive very rapidly. These are the horrendous pictures you see on TV or online. You’ll see these huge blisters filled with dark fluid. It can be a life-threatening emergency.”

What happens if you get a vibrio vulnificus infection?

If you have a vibrio vulnificus infection, you need to seek care immediately.

“These patients need to get to the ER and ICU,” Dr. Sellick says. Many patients will need surgical tissue removal to try to help stop the spread of the infection, Dr. Adalja adds.

How do I prevent a vibrio vulnificus infection?

If you have an open wound—which the CDC notes includes things like a recent surgery, piercing, tattoo, and other cuts or scrapes—it’s best to stay out of the water until the broken skin has healed, Dr. Sellick says.