The temperature of ocean waters around the world continues to rise thanks to climate change, causing potentially disastrous effects to the delicate ecosystem. According to a new report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, five cases of Vibrio vulnificus — a flesh-eating bacteria — have been discovered in the Delaware Bay, boarded by New Jersey and Delaware.
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V. vulnificus bacteria typically live in brackish water, where the river meets the sea. Up until now, it has primarily been found in the southeastern part of the States. Dr. Katherine Doktor, co-author of the report and infectious disease specialist at Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey, said, “We are all very surprised and puzzled that there were a significant number of cases of this infection that we hadn’t seen before.” In 2017 and 2018, the hospital saw fives cases of the infection. In the eight-year span before 2017, the hospital had seen only one case.
A V. vulnificus infection can be contracted by eating raw or undercooked seafood — shellfish and oysters in particular. It can also be contracted when a cut comes into contact with contaminated water. The five recent cases all involved men who had contact with the Delaware Bay. One handled seafood while working at a restaurant nearby; others had eaten crabs caught there or had gone crabbing in the Bay themselves.
The infection typically starts off as a cut that becomes progressively worse. The area will swell and develop large red blisters. Necrotizing fasciitis can then set in — a condition in which bacteria eat away at soft tissue and muscles. If not treated immediately, the condition can be deadly.
While four of the men survived the infection with antibiotics and surgeries to remove necrotic skin, the condition was fatal for one of them. Doktor advises the public to take extra precautions when spending time around bodies of water this summer. “If people have risk factors and they do sustain cuts that are not getting better, they should see a health care provider,” she said. Risk factors that increased vulnerability to infection include those with a compromised immune system or liver disease.