A potentially deadly strain of bacteria is increasingly being reported along the coasts of the Southeastern United States, but the number of infections in Florida seems to be about average for this time of year. Vibrio vulnificus can cause severe and life-threatening infections, and the number of cases in Florida has risen to 20 this year, according to the Florida Department of Health. Five of those infections have led to deaths. One case has been reported in Collier County, and one case in Lee County, according to DOH, with no deaths in those counties this year. The department noted that both counties had unusual increases in cases in 2022 due to impacts from Hurricane Ian.

And while the infections are certainly scary, cases of infected individuals in Florida this year is on pace with other comparable years, according to DOH. So, with waters still warming in the Gulf this summer, is it safe to get in the water this Labor Day holiday weekend? “Temperature is definitely one of the factors that affects mircorbial activity,” said Florida Gulf Coast University professor and researcher James Douglass. “You put them in the refrigeration and they don’t grow as fast as they do on the counter, and the same applies with oceans. I do think that’s part of seasonal risk factor. It doesn’t mean you’re fine below a certain temperature threshold because you can get it anytime of year.” The gulf measured 88 degrees Aug. 26, according to several sources.

Vibrio is among one of the untold number of microbes found in oceanic environments. “If there’s a lot of organic material being input in the marine environment, like from runoff or water being stirred up,” Douglass said. “That can create a lot of food for the microbes and big rainfall event s or hurricanes plus warm water, all those things really get the stew cooking.” But would Douglass get into the water now? He waded into the water waste deep Aug. 26 while taping a video segment for a local television station. Douglass should be a good measuring mark as he is both a professor and marine expert as well as someone who recreates on local waters. He’s also had a nasty water-borne infection that required mulitple treatments with mulitiple antibiotics. “You don’t want to get any open wound or anything wet, ever, but especially not when you’ve got warm, stagnant water and lots of discharge from the land,” he said. No county has reported more than two cases, according to DOH records.

What is Vibrio vulnificus, also called ‘flesh-eating bacteria’? Vibrio is naturally occurring in warm seawaters like those found along the Southwest Florida coast. “Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that normally lives in warm seawater and is part of a group of vibrios that are called “halophilic” because they require salt,” the CDC says.