Health officials are warning residents and visitors along the Gulf Coast about the potentially deadly bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. (Credit: Dr. Jeffrey Cirillo, Texas A&M University, The Associated Press)
\n\nHealth officials are warning residents and visitors along the Gulf Coast about the potentially deadly bacteria Vibrio vulnificus.
\n\nThe bacteria, often described by media as a "flesh-eating" pathogen, occurs naturally in warm saltwater and brackish water, particularly where fresh and saltwater meet, according to health officials.
\n\nHealth experts also say most cases of vibriosis overall are linked to eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters. Vibrio vulnificus can also cause dangerous wound infections when an open wound is exposed to coastal water.
\n\nDr. Jeffrey D. Cirillo of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine said warmer water, flooding and runoff can create favorable conditions for the bacteria.
\n\n"It's natural to the environment. The only thing that's really kind of changed is the temperature. So as water temperature increases as it's hotter, then we see more of these bacteria around," Cirillo told The Associated Press. "The other things that can increase the frequency of Vibrio in the water system is flooding and any types of major weather patterns like hurricanes and so on.
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