(OPGOV.NEWS GLOBAL) --- Bagged lettuce is not the only bacteria to be warned about, with a flesh-eating strain floating in the Gulf Coast waters that has already taken seven lives.
While consumers are watching out for Cyclospora nationwide, Florida and Louisiana residents are looking out for Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium recently found on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, which has killed two people in Florida and five in Louisiana.
The Florida Department of Health (FDH) details the naturally occurring bacteria that forms in undercooked shellfish and can be caught through open wounds in seawater.
“Healthy individuals typically develop a mild disease; however, Vibrio vulnificus infections can be a serious concern for people who have weakened immune systems, particularly those with chronic liver disease,” the FDH reports.
FDH reports the bacterium can cause three types of infection: general, bloodstream, and wound. Each type of infection displays separate symptoms. General infection includes watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills.
Bloodstream infection involves more severe symptoms, including fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions. Wound infection displays symptoms around the injury, including redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, and discharge.
Florida Department of Health Video
The FDH details cases as far back as 2024 and the counties they occurred in. The last update on August 6 notes that in the last two years, increases in cases were due to hurricane impacts.
The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) released a report on August 9, stating that while Louisiana has seen five deaths, 9 cases have been reported in 2026. PBS reports the Gulf is an “ideal” area for the bacterium to flourish.
Like the FDH, the national broadcasting system points out that Florida has the most infections compared to other states.
Along with the two recent deaths, a total of 14 Vibrio vulnificus cases are reported this year, “compared with 33 cases and five deaths for all of last year.”
“Most infections are reported from May to October, and most happen in states along the Gulf Coast,” PBS reports. “Doctors say the Gulf is an ideal environment with the right amounts of salt and heat to let this organism proliferate.”
PBS cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noting that Vibrio vulnificus is the most life-threatening type of bacteria. In 2025, the CDC released a report noting “People with a Vibrio vulnificus infection can get seriously ill and need intensive care or limb amputation.”
“About 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill,” CDC reports, adding steps to prevent the infection.
Weather has everything to do with the deadly bacterium. PBS also confirms “records show more cases in years when tropical storms and hurricanes hit Florida.”
(Photo Credit: PBS 2022)
Along with assuring all shellfish is cooked thoroughly, the CDC warns that anyone with open wounds should not swim in the Gulf Coast and “if you are at increased risk for infection, wear clothes and shoes that protect you from cuts and scrapes when in coastal waters.”
If you or anyone you know may have the bacterium, please seek immediate attention.
(Photo Credit for Thumbnail Photo: Pexels/ Jahra Tasfia Reza)
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