Collier, Lee led the state in 2017 in cases of "flesh-eating" infections
Amy Bennett Williams
Vibrio vulnificus infections aren’t the type of thing the region’s paradise promoters necessarily want to talk about, yet there were more potentially deadly cases documented in Lee and Collier counties last year than anywhere else in Florida.
It’s commonly called flesh-eating disease, a not-quite-accurate nickname that makes public health officials cringe, because the microbes that cause it don’t really eat people; the toxins they produce can destroy soft tissue, and, in serious cases, cause death. Symptoms after contact include: chills, fever, swelling, blistering, skin lesions, severe pain, low blood pressure and discharge from wound. Without treatment, death can occur in just a few days.
Since 2008, Vibrio vulnificus has infected 346 people in Florida, killing 99 — more than 28 percent of those who contracted the disease. Last year, the bacteria infected 49 people in Florida, killing 11 of them, which is one more death and three more infections over 2016.
The top-five counties were:
- Collier: 5 cases, 1 death
- Lee: 4 cases, 1 death
- Hillsborough: 4 cases, 0 deaths
- Sumter: 3 cases, 0 deaths
- St. Johns: 2 cases, 2 deaths
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Why the increase? Hurricane Irma gets some of the blame, said Florida health department spokeswoman Mara Gambineri. Privacy laws don’t let her speak about patients, but “We did identify two, possibly three cases in Collier County that occurred after Irma. There was a lot of standing water, especially in places like Everglades City, and that can be a factor,” she said. “So that’s something to consider this year when looking at those numbers (and) we’re seeing an uptick in cases.”
Even though the chance of getting a Vibrio infection is about the same as getting hit by lightning, some environmental advocates worry it might become even more common if water pollution isn’t curbed.
However, John Cassani of the nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper said there may not be enough scientific evidence yet to know for sure.
“It's tempting to say or even suggest that degraded water quality can promote increased Vibrio concentrations,” Cassani wrote in an email, “but from what I can tell, the literature is not conclusive on that. In aquaculture operations especially with shrimp, it appears that improving water quality especially by lowering dissolved inorganic nitrogen can lower Vibrio concentrations. There is also some empirical evidence that Vibrio concentrations may be higher in association with elevated levels of enteric (fecal) bacteria like Enterococci. We certainly see elevated levels of enteric bacteria locally but Vibrio is not being monitored concurrently.”
The state’s Healthy Beaches water sampling program measures some bacterial contamination at 13 Lee County and 12 Collier County Gulf islands and beaches, plus along the Caloosahatchee and its estuary, but doesn’t check the levels of Vibrio, which is naturally present in warm brackish or saltwater.
This seriously concerns Pine Island artist and activist Rachi Farrow, so much so that when fellow water advocate John Heim invited her to do a section of mural on a Fort Myers Beach building, she dedicated her space to Vibrio, “to inform We the People about it, as Fort Myers Beach will not.”
Farrow painted one-eyed, one-footed microbes, with their name spelled backward, so “the town fathers wouldn’t be able to figure out what it said … What concerns me is that tourists, visitors to Fort Myers Beach are put at risk because those who run the city believe it will hurt tourism/business. They have it backwards (so) I’ve taken on the personal mission to inform everyone I see in the water about Vibrio’s presence.”
She later painted "Vibrio vulnificus man," which includes an indictment of area officials: "Protecting local business, harming local people and tourists.”
Farrow is correct that Fort Myers Beach doesn’t explicitly post Vibrio warnings, said the town’s environmental technician Rae Burns. “Not specifically for vibrio, no … we don’t have direct signage on the beach saying, ‘Beware of vibrio bacteria,’ ” but the town does address bacteria in general on its website and relies on the Healthy Beaches program to warn people.
“Enterococcal (bacteria) and red tide are like our poster children, but there are so many other things to test for,” Burns said. “I think now that we’re in general learning more how interconnected everything is and the threat of bacteria that could possibly influence people (all) this emerging knowledge will come into play.”
To be clear, "normal, healthy people" are not at risk, the health department’s Gambineri said, which means most casual Southwest Florida beachgoers don’t have to worry. “You are likely coming into contact with Vibrio if you’re in the water. It’s there. We know it’s there. We expect it to be there.”
Yes, those with wounds and weak immune systems should be cautious, she said, and no one should eat raw saltwater seafood, especially oysters.
"We always encourage people to cook all seafood thoroughly," Gambineri said. "You can’t see or smell Vibrio."
Which is why Cassani hopes that monitoring gets more stringent.
“Pathogens are present in our waters that are killing people and Florida is not monitoring Vibrio concentrations for potentially high concentrations that could be dangerous to water users.”