08/29/2025
Each summer, millions of Americans flock to the Gulf coast to enjoy the surf, sand and seafood. If you've ever done so, chances are you've swum right alongside Vibrio, a group of bacteria that naturally inhabits many coastal waters around the world.
Vibrio vulnificus is one such species that thrives in warm coastal waters. You might know it better by its unofficial name: flesh-eating bacteria. Luckily, infections of V. vulnificus are rare but are more common between May and October when waters are warmest.
Eating raw oysters is the most common way people become infected with V. vulnificus, but you can also get it through contact of any open wound with salt water or brackish water.
Anyone can contract vibrio, but people with certain medical conditions need to be more careful about getting in the water and eating raw seafood.
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