By Jack Phillips
Contributing Writer
Health officials in several states said that a rare type of “flesh-eating bacteria” has left at least eight people dead and 32 sick across multiple Gulf Coast states.
The Louisiana Department of Health said late last week that 17 cases of Vibrio vulnificus have been reported so far this year in the state, four of which were fatal.
All 17 cases reported in the state involved the sickened individuals being hospitalized, it said.
“During the same time period over the previous 10 years, an average of seven Vibrio vulnificus cases and one death have been reported each year in Louisiana,” the state health agency said in a statement.
In the 17 cases, 75% reported wound and seawater exposure, the department added. It also noted that Vibrio bacteria generally live in warm coastal waters and tend to occur in higher rates between May and October.
In Florida, health officials have confirmed 13 instances of the bacterial infection and four deaths so far in 2025, according to an update on the Florida Department of Health’s website on July 24.
“About a dozen species of Vibrio can cause a human illness,” the Louisiana Health Department warned in a statement. “Some Vibrio species, such as Vibrio vulnificus, can cause severe and life-threatening infections. Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection can become seriously ill and need intensive care or limb amputation. About one in five people with this infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.”
The bacteria can cause an illness when exposed to an open wound in coastal waters or when a person eats undercooked or raw seafood, namely oysters, according to health officials.
Authorities advise people to avoid brackish or salt water and to cover any wounds with a waterproof bandage if they expect to be exposed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 80,000 cases of vibriosis, caused by a type of Vibrio bacteria, occur every year in the United States. Most cases are connected to contaminated food, the agency states.
“Some Vibrio infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies,” the agency states on its website, noting that media outlets say that it is a “flesh-eating bacteria.”
About 100 cases of Vibrio vulnificus are reported in the United States each year, but because people with mild infections aren’t tested, the actual number isn’t known, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. About a third of reported cases are fatal.
According to the CDC, vibriosis causes symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever and chills. In extreme cases, it causes ear infections, sepsis, and life-threatening infections.
“Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection can get seriously ill and need intensive care or limb amputation,” the CDC’s website states.
The CDC adds that around one in five people who suffer from that infection die. It can occur within a day or two of becoming ill, the agency states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
