Vibrio vulnificus

Vibrio vulnificus

Vibrio vulnificus is not an alga, but a bacterium that lives in salty water. Vibrio vulnificus is found in the water, in shellfish (oysters, clams and crabs), in the sediment lying at the bottom of water bodies, and in plankton floating in the water. It has been found along the coastlines of the U.S., from Cape Cod to Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, and along the entire West Coast, as well as in a few brackish lakes in the western U.S.

These bacteria occurs naturally and are not caused by pollution. They do not affect sea life, but in people Vibrio vulnificus can cause wound infections, gastroenteritis (diarrhea and other stomach and intestinal symptoms), and septicemia (blood poisoning), and may even cause death.

Vibrio vulnificus can get into the body and cause illness when contaminated seawater gets into an open wound or break in the skin, or when a person eats contaminated seafood.

When wounds are infected, the skin may ulcerate and break down, and the infection may move into the person's bloodstream. People who eat foods, such as raw shellfish, containing Vibrio vulnificus are likely to develop vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain within 16 hours of eating the contaminated food.

A Vibrio vulnificus infection is especially dangerous for people who have a compromised immune system. In those people, especially those with chronic liver disease, the bacteria can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness that can include fever and chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock), and skin sores. Vibrio vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal about 50 percent of the time.

People can protect themselves from Vibrio vulnificus infections. Read our factsheets, Vibrio vulnificus: The Facts, Food Safety Advice and Safety Advice for Fishermen. If you have health questions about Vibrio vulnificus, contact N.C. General Communicable Disease Control at (919) 733-3419.

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Page last updated on December 21, 2006