- READ MORE: Texas dad dies from flesh-eating bacteria after fishing in flip-flops
- Best Memorial Day 2025 sales: Early deals from Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy
While sharks and jellyfish stings may be what most people are afraid of when swimming in the ocean, public health officials warn of a deadlier threat at the beach.
Lurking in warm, coastal waters is the flesh-eating vibrio vulnificus. This deadly bacteria can enter the body through the smallest – sometimes even imperceptible – opening from a cut or scrape.
After finding a way in, it enters the bloodstream, and release enzymes and toxins that break down proteins, fats, and collagen, destroying skin and muscle tissue.
It evades the immune system’s defenses while triggering a widespread inflammatory response that causes even more tissue damage. Reduced blood flow to the infected area worsens this damage, ultimately leading to the death of tissue beneath the skin.
This results in amputations to try and cut away the infection or – in severe cases – death.
Vibrio requires warm water to grow and proliferate, making Gulf Coast beaches prime breeding grounds.
But colder regions are becoming gradually more hospitable as ocean temperatures rise, attracting and nurturing colonies of the bacteria. Vibrio infections have been confirmed on the East coast, Alaska, the Baltic Sea, and Chile, which scientists now believe could be the next hotspots.
The CDC has not issued an annual report on vibrio in the US since 2019, when 2,685 infections were reported. A sweeping review of CDC data on East Coast states from 1988 through 2018 showed vibrio wound infections increased eightfold, from about 10 cases to more than 80 annually.
Vibrio lurking in warm coastal waters can enter an open wound, reach the bloodstream, and release enzymes and toxins that break down proteins, fats, and collagen, destroying skin and muscle tissue
The above maps show projections of future spread of Vibrio vulnificus, which is fueled by rising ocean temperatures
Vibrio vulnificus can also infect a person who eats raw or undercooked shellfish, causing painful abdominal cramps and diarrhea, and, in cases where the bacteria enters the bloodstream, sepsis and death.
The CDC estimates that 80,000 Americans are infected with vibrio every year, although there are only 1,200 to 2,000 confirmed cases annually as it is often misdiagnosed
