{"id":3810,"date":"2023-09-01T10:43:09","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T14:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/?p=3810"},"modified":"2023-09-05T12:28:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T16:28:55","slug":"how-can-we-avoid-vibrio-infections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/how-can-we-avoid-vibrio-infections\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can We Avoid Vibrio Infections?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Safety guidelines can help you steer clear of Vibrio<\/em> infections. And you can learn when it\u2019s time to get help.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you seeing Vibrio<\/em> in the news stories or in seafood safety notices? Why and how could it matter to you?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a few minutes to learn more about how Vibrio<\/em> bacteria can be an issue for folks who work on or otherwise enjoy our waters and our seafood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vibrio<\/em> bacteria naturally inhabit coastal waters, and their populations typically increase from May to October as seawater warms. Coastal waters have been warmer this summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent news stories have reported that Murray Bridges, known as the \u201cCrab Father of Colington<\/a>,\u201d died on August 22 after contracting a bacterial infection from open-wound that had been to sound water. Bridges was a long-time collaborator with North Carolina Sea Grant in advancing the soft crab industry in our state.  His loss is felt not only in his Outer Banks community but by many whom he had mentored, and countless chefs and consumers who have enjoyed his bounty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reported three fatalities occurred in July 2023<\/a> from the Vibrio<\/em> bacteria. According to NCDHHS, 47 cases and 8 deaths from vibriosis \u2014 an infection cause by Vibrio<\/em> bacteria \u2014 have occurred since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While infected wounds have had recent attention, most people develop vibriosis after consuming raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. That is because clams and oysters filter water in and over their gills to capture microscopic algae for food. As they filter, Vibrio<\/em> bacteria and other harmful germs can concentrate in their flesh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That filtering process also can include pollution from runoff \u2014 and that is why shellfish waters are often closed temporarily after tropical systems pass, even unnamed storms with heavy runoff, and why some waters are closed permanently to shellfish harvests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vibrio<\/em><\/strong>\u2019s Effects<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates Vibrio <\/a><\/em>bacteria cause at least 80,000 illnesses<\/a>, 500 hospitalizations, and 100 deaths yearly in this country; eating contaminated seafood causes about 52,000 infections. Healthy people who contract mild cases of vibriosis recover in about 72 hours, and they typically experience diarrhea and vomiting, the agency reports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those most at risk for all Vibrio<\/em> infections include people with weakened immunity caused by cancer, diabetes, or chronic liver disease; people receiving immune-suppressing therapy; people on medication to decrease stomach acidity; and, people who have had recent stomach surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain Vibrio<\/em> bacteria also can cause severe skin infections when open wounds are exposed to saltwater or brackish water, which occurs where the fresh waters of rivers meet the sea. These life-threatening wound infections need intensive medical care, and, in extreme cases, limb amputation. Roughly 20% of people who develop this type of Vibrio<\/em> infection die within 24 to 48 hours of becoming ill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs of potentially life-threatening <\/em>infection include: redness, pain, swelling, discoloration, and ooze at a wound site, as well as fever. Blistering skin lesions, chills, severely low blood pressure, and fever indicate an infection has spread to the bloodstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Vibrio<\/em> is not a new bacterial threat, warmer seas due to climate change could drive more bacterial infections in coastal states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steps to Avoid Infections<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To reduce your risk of contracting a Vibrio <\/em>infection, do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022<\/strong> Stay out of saltwater or brackish water if you have a wound, including from a recent surgery, piercing, or tattoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022<\/strong> Cover wounds with a waterproof bandage if they could come into contact with saltwater, brackish water, or the juices of raw or undercooked seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022<\/strong> If an open wound has been exposed to seawater or raw seafood juices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n