At least four people have been killed in Florida by a rare flesh-eating bacteria, according to the state’s health department. Vibrio vulnificus is found in warm saltwater and has infected at least 11 individuals in recent months across central Florida’s Bay, Broward, Hillsborough and St Johns counties. Those who contract the infection can sometimes require intensive care or even limb amputation.
The death rate of the infection stands at 20% overall, yet it can reach up to a staggering 50% if Vibrio vulnificus enters the bloodstream. Death typically occurs within two days of symptoms appearing which include vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, chills, elevated heart rate and disorientation. Dr Daniel Egan, an infectious disease specialist at Orlando Health, told WESH: “There’s a lot of bacteria that just live in different areas, even in, like, waterborne spots.”
He added: “So there’s fresh water, salt water, and this bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus likes salt water.”
The often fatal bacteria can cause necrotising fasciitis, which is an infection causing flesh around an open wound to die – often leading to amputation of the limb. Those who are healthy can recover, yet people with long-standing conditions or weakened immune systems are at a greater risk of serious complications.
Vibrio vulnificus occurs naturally and thrives in warm seawater and other saltwater environments such as rivers. The bacterium is typically most active between May and October when waters are warmest.
Between 150 to 200 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections are reported to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year, yet cases have surged in recent years.
In 2024, reports of the bacterium reached a record high, with the CDC logging 19 deaths and 82 infections which is nearly double from the year prior.
The huge increase followed Hurricanes Milton and Helene as floodwaters pushed the warm saltwater further inland.
Dr Kami Kim, the director of infectious disease at Tampa General Hospital, told WUSF media: “There are people running around, lifting, moving stuff that normally they wouldn’t do, so the probability of getting that cut or exposure is higher.”
By 2090, the US Department of Agriculture predicts that the total cost of infections from bacteria such as Vibrio vulnificus will reach $6.1billion annually.