Deadly 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria On The Rise In US, Pose Growing Threat In East Coast Areas

Warming waters are causing a rise in infections with the rare flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, which is moving along the US east coast.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, Vibrio vulnificus, can cause life-threatening wound infections. Many people with the Vibrio vulnificus infection require intensive care or limb amputations, and about 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.

"Some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies. Some media reports call this kind of infection "flesh-eating bacteria," even though necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than one type of bacteria."

According to an article by The Metro, which quoted a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, between 1988 and 2016, there were over 1,100 wound infections reported in the USA, with 159 associated fatalities, highlighting the significant yet underappreciated impact of this pathogen.

Using data modelling, the team predicts that between 2041 and 2060, V. vulnificus will spread up to New Jersey and New York, which, coupled with a higher and more elderly population, could result in doubling the number of cases annually.

Beyond that, the fate of the bacteria depends on society's response to climate change. Under more extreme warming, infections may occur as far north as Maine, a further 1,000km up the coastline. Under a low emissions scenario, infections are expected to remain relatively static.