Vibrio are bacteria that live naturally in certain coastal waters — salt water and brackish water, the mix of salt and fresh water often found where rivers meet the sea. They are most plentiful from May through October, when the water is warmer.
About a dozen species can cause a human illness called vibriosis. In the United States the most common are V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus and V. alginolyticus. (Other strains of Vibrio cause cholera, a separate disease.)
Image from CDC's page on Vibrio infection.
How people get it
- Most people get vibriosis by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters.
- Some get it when an open wound touches coastal water.
CDC estimates 80,000 cases each year in the United States, 52,000 of them from contaminated food.
Symptoms
| Type of infection | Signs and symptoms |
|---|---|
| Common (gut) | Watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills |
| Bloodstream | Fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, blistering skin lesions |
| Wound | Fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, discharge |
How serious it can be
Some species, such as Vibrio vulnificus, cause severe, life-threatening infections. Many people infected with it need intensive care or limb amputation, and about 1 in 5 die — sometimes within a day or two of falling ill.
Some Vibrio infections cause necrotizing fasciitis, in which the flesh around an open wound dies; media reports sometimes call V. vulnificus "flesh-eating bacteria." Public health experts believe, however, that group A Streptococcus is the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis in the United States.
If you have symptoms of a bloodstream or wound infection, see a doctor or go to the emergency room right away. Do not wait.
Who's at higher risk
Anyone can get a Vibrio infection, but these raise the risk of infection and severe complications:
| Health factors | Behaviors |
|---|---|
| Liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia | Eating raw seafood, especially oysters |
| Immune-suppressing treatment | Exposing an open wound to coastal water |
| Medicine that lowers stomach acid | Exposing an open wound to raw seafood or its drippings |
| Recent stomach surgery |
Diagnosis and treatment
Vibriosis is diagnosed when Vibrio are found in a sick person's wound, blood or stool. If you have symptoms, tell your provider if you recently ate raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters, or if a wound may have touched coastal water or raw seafood or its drippings.
- Mild infections: antibiotics aren't recommended; drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration if you have diarrhea or vomiting.
- Severe or prolonged infections: antibiotics can be used.
- Wound infections: antibiotics plus surgery to remove dead or infected tissue, which may mean amputation.
Sources
Based on "About Vibrio Infection," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
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