Growing Threat From Deadly “Flesh-Eating” Bacteria Along the East Coast of the US
Vibrio vulnificus can result in potentially fatal wound infections.
A spike in illnesses with the rare flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, which is travelling down the US east coast, is being brought on by warming waters.
The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria can lead to potentially fatal wound infections, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1 in 5 patients with the Vibrio vulnificus infection die, sometimes just a day or two after becoming unwell, and many require urgent care or limb amputations.Necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh surrounding an open wound dies, is caused by some Vibrio vulnificus infections. Even though necrotizing fasciitis can be brought on by a variety of bacteria, some media stories refer to this ailment as coming from “flesh-eating bacteria.”
According to a study cited in an article by The Metro, published in the journal Scientific Reports, over 1,100 wound infections were documented in the USA between 1988 and 2016, with 159 deaths related with them. This highlights the pathogen’s considerable yet unrecognised impact.
Using data modeling, the team projects that V. vulnificus will expand to New Jersey and New York between 2041 and 2060. This, combined with an ageing population, might cause the number of cases to double every year.Beyond that, how society reacts to climate change will determine the fate of the microbes. Infections may spread 1,000 kilometres up the coastline, to Maine, under more acute warming. Infections are anticipated to stay largely unchanged under a low emissions environment.
