A flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters has led to the deaths of five Louisiana residents this year amid a summertime surge.
Louisiana health officials are urging beachgoers to take precautions against Vibrio vulnificus, the deadliest species of Vibrio bacteria, which can cause severe and life-threatening infections resulting in gastrointestinal illness, wound infections or blood poisoning.
About 1 in 5 people with Vibrio vulnificus infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.
The bacteria are found in coastal waters and are present in higher numbers from May through October, when water temperatures are warmer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to a press release from the Louisiana Department of Health, nine cases have been reported in 2026, all of which required hospitalization. During the same period over the previous 10 years, Louisiana reported an average of seven cases and one death.
Here’s everything you need to know about Vibrio vulnificus as the surge continues.
How do people get Vibrio vulnificus?
Vibrio vulnificus is most often contracted by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters, the CDC reports.
Infection can also occur when an open wound — such as an unhealed cut or scrape, recent piercing or tattoo — comes in contact with coastal waters. These include salt water and brackish water, a mixture of salt and fresh water. The bacteria are often found where rivers meet the ocean.
Florida historically reports the most Vibrio vulnificus cases in the US, with hurricanes and other severe weather increasing exposure risk from floodwaters and standing water. Florida has reported 14 cases and two deaths this year, compared with 33 cases and five deaths last year.
In 2025, 77-year-old Basil Kennedy fell ill after he scraped his leg on a boat trailer. He cleaned and bandaged the wound and never entered the water but was hospitalized when his health suddenly and sharply declined, Fox 8 Live reported.
“His leg started to slowly swell,” his daughter told Fox 8 Live. “Then, it became a little bit red, and it was like, ‘OK, something’s not right here.’ But then, once it really took hold in the leg, I mean we were just watching it swell, blister, fluid — everything you expect from the flesh-eating bacteria.”
Kennedy died three days after the incident.
Anyone can get Vibrio vulnificus, but severe cases are highest among elderly people and people who:
- Have liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia
- Receive immune-suppressing therapy for the treatment of disease
- Take medicine that reduces stomach acid
- Have recently undergone stomach surgery
What are the symptoms?
Common signs of Vibrio vulnificus include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills.
Signs of a wound infection include fever, redness, drainage or discharge, skin discoloration, pain, swelling or warmth around the wound.
Signs of bloodstream infection include fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure and blistering skin lesions.
How is it treated?
Antibiotics are not recommended to treat mild infections, according to the CDC, though they can be used to treat severe or prolonged infections.
Wound infections, however, are treated with antibiotics and surgery — possibly including amputation — to remove dead or infected tissue.
The CDC recommends that people with diarrhea or vomiting drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration. It also advises immediately seeing a doctor or going to the emergency room when experiencing symptoms of a Vibrio vulnificus infection: “Do not wait.”
Tell the healthcare provider about any recent consumption of raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters, or any open wound that may have come in contact with coastal water or raw or undercooked seafood or its drippings.
