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Cases of ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria rise in Florida after 2024 hurricanes

Cases of ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria rise in Florida after 2024 hurricanes

Because vibrio It flourishes when exposed to nutrients, proliferating rapidly both in the human intestine and in the bloodstream. “They are some of the fastest growing organisms on Earth. They enter the host and find this warm, nutrient-rich environment and proliferate very quickly,” says Almagro-Moreno. (Whether some vibrio remain in a latent state within the human body is less clear).

What does a vibrio case it seems?

vibrio It can enter the body in different ways. Symptoms of exposure to dangerous strains through an open wound include redness, pain, swelling, discoloration, discharge, and eventually, dead, blackened skin. (This last one inspires his nickname “carnivore”.) Swallowing affected seawater or eating contaminated shellfish causes diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting. If the infection enters the bloodstream, early symptoms include fever, chills, and dangerously low blood pressure.

This leads to death in 20 percent of people They develop an infection, known as vibriosis, sometimes in just a day or two.

What makes bacteria so deadly is their ability to multiply rapidly. “If you saw something strange on your finger or foot you would seek treatment. But the problem is that you can get infected during the day and when you wake up the next morning, you have septicemia,” says Almagro-Moreno.

“If you get it, you have to act very quickly,” he says Mohammad Moniruzzamanmicrobiologist at the University of Miami. Most antibiotics, taken early, treat it effectively. Severe wound infections may require tissue removal or amputation. That’s why Moniruzzaman advises avoiding coastal waters if you have an open wound, or at least covering it with a waterproof patch.