A resident of Louisiana has died after being exposed to a rare flesh-eating bacteria, one of dozens of cases this year in the United States.
The resident suffered an infection from a water-based bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus.
There have been 26 Vibrio cases confirmed in the Gulf Coast state this year. All patients were hospitalized and 24 had at least one underlying health condition. Five people died but no one has been identified by the state’s Department of Health.
In the U.S, there have been dozens of cases this year, although the exact number remains unknown. Most have been reported in the South and along the East Coast.
Louisiana’s health department said it continues to see a higher number of cases and deaths than typically reported in a year.
“During the same time period over the previous 10 years, an average of 10 Vibrio vulnificus cases and one death have been reported annually in Louisiana,” it said.
Officials did not say why this might be the case, but approximately half of the 150-200 infections reported in the U.S. each year occur in the Gulf states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Louisiana and Florida have seen the greatest number of cases and deaths since reporting cases to federal authorities became mandatory in 2007. Florida has also reported five deaths and 28 cases this year.
Of the 26 cases in Louisiana this year, 85 percent of patients reported they had an open wound that was exposed to seawater.
Vibrio bacteria naturally live in coastal waters and are found in higher numbers from May to October, when ocean temperatures are warmer. It is frequently found in oysters, and a person may also be infected when they eat raw shellfish.
Anyone can become infected, and infections can cause severe and life-threatening illness.
If the bacteria invades the bloodstreams of those with weakened immune systems, people may experience fever, chills, skin lesions and even septic shock. Sometimes, infection may result in amputation or cause necrotizing fasciitis, when the flesh around an open wound dies.
About one in five people die within a day or two of becoming ill.
People who have cancer, liver disease, diabetes, HIV, or the genetic blood disorder thalassemia are at an increased risk of severe complications. So are people who take immune-suppressing drugs, medicine that reduces stomach acid, and people who have had recent stomach surgery.
Still, most healthy individuals experience mild disease following exposure, including symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, fever, chills, high heart rate, and disorientation.
People can avoid exposure by not eating raw shellfish, not exposing open wounds to warm salt or brackish water, and wearing gloves and other protective clothing.
“Stay out of brackish or salt water if you have a wound (including cuts and scrapes), or cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if there’s a possibility it could come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices,” the department advised.
