Flesh-Eating Bacteria

[Beach Runner]

Why haven't we heard anything about flesh-eating bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico on sowal.com? Is it being kept quiet in the Panhandle to avoid tourism loss?

The reason I'm asking is that we just found out that our niece apparently has a flesh-eating bacterial infection. The biopsy won't be back until Monday. The docs might have to cut off part of one of her legs to save her life.

So I started Googling flesh-eating bacteria. It's actually Vibrio vulnificus (Vv), and it thrives in the Gulf in the summer, including in oysters. A professor at Auburn has determined that it's in tarballs, so don't pick one up. http://www.scilogs.com/from_the_lab_bench/better-left-alone-flesh-eating-bacteria-thrive-in-tarballs/. Apparently 4 swimmers in the Gulf have caught Vv this summer, and one died http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/national_world&id=9163809. One man was in a fishing boat, water from the Gulf splashed into the boat and onto an open wound. He died. http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/07/man_dies_from_flesh-eating_bac.html

As the Auburn aquatic microbiology prof said, "Vv is a natural member of the Gulf coast environments. Vv is actually distributed worldwide, as long as the temperature and salinity [salt concentration] are right. Vv prefers warmer temperatures and brackish salinities, although it can survive in full-strength seawater. We were surprised to see the high numbers of Vv in tarballs which compared to numbers found in oysters in during the peak season for Vv (summer). Oysters are filter feeders that tend to accumulate bacteria present in their surrounding waters, but we did not expect to find such high levels in tar. On the other hand, I guess nobody had looked before, so we didn't know what to expect."

If you have any open sores, rashes, or wounds, you might want to investigate whether it's safe for you to get into the Gulf. Or the Chattahoochee River, etc. Remember the grad student in Georgia who got infected last year by Vv while zip-lining on the 'Hooch and got a bad cut. She had a limb removed and part of her abdomen removed to save her life.

 

[Bob]

wow, what a bit of info.

 

[Truman]

Jeeeez hope she's OK. Haven't heard anything about it. If it were known about it would be on here cause there are plenty of people who are no fans of touristz.

 

[Will B]

The bacteria is just about everywhere. As far as contracting it goes, it's about as hit or miss as getting the bug from oysters. One person may get it while another standing right there at the same time with the same conditions may not. There are more factors involved in contracting it than just getting it on you.

I, for one, won't go through live wearing a hazmat suit. If we had to worry about every "bug" out there, we'd never go outside.

The MRSA bacterial is a great example. Everybody is covered in it, but it only flares and causes issues with a tiny fraction of the population...

 

[seagrovegirl]

One of the reasons I stay out of the Coastal Dune Lakes in the summer especially when they are closed up and do not drain into the Gulf. The water gets so hot and stagnant and people let their kids swim in there.

 

[beachmouse]

Best wishes and outcomes to your niece.

As Will said, the Vibrio has always been down here; it's just rare for it to turn into anything serious. It's the reason why there's always supposed to be the disclaimer about pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems shouldn't eat raw oysters wherever they're served as a precautionary measure, and the local news will very occasionally have reports of raw oyster-related illnesses.

 

[Beach Runner]

Best wishes and outcomes to your niece.

As Will said, the Vibrio has always been down here; it's just rare for it to turn into anything serious. It's the reason why there's always supposed to be the disclaimer about pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems shouldn't eat raw oysters wherever they're served as a precautionary measure, and the local news will very occasionally have reports of raw oyster-related illnesses.

Thank you.

According to http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=61933, "Many of the people who have developed necrotizing fasciitis have been in good health before developing the condition. People with chronic medical conditions (for example diabetes and cancer) or who have weakened immune systems are at an increased risk of developing necrotizing fasciitis. Recent wounds (including surgical incisions) and recent viral infections that cause a rash (such as chickenpox) also confer an increased risk. " According to this article, Vv isn't the only type of bacteria that can cause necrotizing fasciitis ("flesh eating").

EDIT: The link regarding the man dying from getting Vv while in a fishing boat says, "The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals issued an advisory recommending that swimmers avoid swimming with open wounds and swallowing sea water, minimize full immersions while swimming and shower after swimming."

I had a MRSA (staph aureus) that I caught at the gym. The antibiotics took months (until this past April) to get rid of it. Apparently when you're sweating, your clothes get damp, and bacteria on the gym equipment can strikethrough your clothes and infect you. I did not know that! My infectious disease doc at Emory University Clinic says to never work out at the gym with an open sore or cut, shower IMMEDIATELY after exercising, and throw your gym clothes into the washer as soon as you get home. I was not in a high risk status for getting MRSA.

Hubby was pruning saw palmettos at our beach cottage, cut himself on one of them, and later went for a swim in the Gulf. He developed a staph lugdunensis and was on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. He then tested negative. Then he started having severe back pain. The ortho doc couldn't determine the cause of the pain. I just happened to google staph and back pain, and there it was -- he had osteomyelitis. The staph was hiding in his spine in a low-blood flow area. It destroyed the disk between L1 and L2 and damaged L1 and L2. After back surgery to remove the staph and repair his spine, he has a titanium cage in his spine to support it -- the X-rays look like a Home Depot project. He was on IV antibiotics for 4 months. He was not in a high risk status for getting staph.

Now we have to be vigilant about swimming in the Gulf! As you know, seven beaches in South Walton are being tested, but only for enterococci bacteria http://www.doh.state.fl.us/chdwalton/Env_Health/Healthy_Beaches.htm. Guess we'll just have to follow the Louisiana advisory that I quoted above.

I am sorry if I have scared any of you, but I felt that it was my duty to report Vv in the Gulf (and staph infections from other sources) to those of you who hadn't heard about it either.

 

[Leader of the Banned]

How do germaphobes deal with money? Do they wash it?

 

[Beach Runner]

How do germaphobes deal with money? Do they wash it?

I use hand sanitizer after touching money, using an ATM, filling up my car with gas, using the keypad at the grocery store, etc. I keep it in my purse, cars, on my desk at work. I avoid touching anything anyone else touches (door knobs, computer keyboards, etc.) I use hand sanitizer after touching a plastic menu (proven to be a huge carrier of germs). I clean off grocery cart handles. I wash veggies/fruit (apples, tomatoes, watermelon, lemons, limes, etc. -- wouldn't work with strawberries) from the grocery store that can be washed with antibacterial products. I have three separate sink areas in my kitchen -- one for food prep (except for meat), and one for meat prep, and one for washing dishes. I carry antibacterial wipes to clean toilet seats before I sit on them. I use my shoe to flush toilets and my elbows to turn on and off bathroom sinks. I clean my steering wheel after a valet parker delivers it back to me. Basically, if I can't avoid touching something that someone else has touched, I wash my hands or use hand sanitizers.

That being said, my being OCD about germs does not lessen the validity of what I have posted on this thread and that we should be careful, yet not live in a hazmat suit. My infectious disease doc would concur. She even says that if you go to the gym, shower there -- don't wait until you get home.

 

[Lady D]

Ok. We are coming down next week. Now I know I won't be in the water next week. My husband is a germaphobe. He is forever washing his hands. We keep boxes of hand sanitizer wipes at home and in our car and use them when in the nursing home even to open the door with. And use them afterward.