# Vibrio vulnificus - flesh eating bacteria



## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Vibrio vulnificus - flesh eating bacteria is in the news again this year and is associated with 2 deaths already. Link:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/warm-w...ing-disease-warning-florida/story?id=24755485


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

The warning seems to be for salt and brackish waters. I guess it does not exist in fresh water?

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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

Cipro is what they use for it!


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Hook said:


> Cipro is what they use for it!


Anyway they can vaccinate against it?


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## 192 (Oct 1, 2007)

Probably, but at the small numbers of those affected per year it would be difficult to justify the millions of government research required to make it happen.


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

grouper22 said:


> Probably, but at the small numbers of those affected per year it would be difficult to justify the millions of government research required to make it happen.


Yea, your right...instead let's spend those M$$ on illegals entering from the south rather than protecting our borders....ooppps that's another thread, sorry!


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## 192 (Oct 1, 2007)

I dont disagree with you, just stating the obvious.


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## SouthAlabamaSlayer (Oct 13, 2011)

Hey, here's a good thought, if you have a compromised immune system, don't eat raw oysters or swim with open cuts in brackish water. There, problem solved.


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

Don't know that I would do that even if immune system wasn't compromised at my age! I'll stay in the boat...and roast my oysters on the grill.


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

still makes me paranoid, i'll try to get my fix on the river.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

I just got hit by a piece of sky


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Mac1528 said:


> Don't know that I would do that even if immune system wasn't compromised at my age! I'll stay in the boat...and roast my oysters on the grill.


So hot last weekend that i ended up roasting my oysters on the hot vinyl boat seat! OUCH!!

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## weedline (Aug 20, 2011)

sure said:


> still makes me paranoid, i'll try to get my fix on the river.


hate to break it to u but the drive to the river is more dangerous hell walking out to check the mail is more likely to kill u than that


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

weedline said:


> hate to break it to u but the drive to the river is more dangerous hell walking out to check the mail is more likely to kill u than that


I don't care, I suck at fishing anyways


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## Desert Eagle (Apr 25, 2012)

There is a flesh eating bacteria that lives in fresh water also. Infected a Georgia girl 2 years ago. The bacteria entered her through a scratch on her leg. Did MUCH damage to her. Never heard if she lived or died. But it's out there...


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

Mac1528 said:


> Anyway they can vaccinate against it?


I do not think so. Be very careful if you slip at the boat ramp and cut your hand . If so I would go to the Dr. for a script.


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## SHO-NUFF (May 30, 2011)

Hook said:


> I do not think so. Be very careful if you slip at the boat ramp and cut your hand . If so I would go to the Dr. for a script.


 This is a big part of the problem. 
We have become such a "Clean" society thanks to anti-bacterial soap, our bodies can't fight off bacteria very well. Our immune system is weak because we have over protected it. 
This, along with over prescribed antibiotics has made us vulnerable to several things. Our bodies are wimps. The old saying Don't drink the water in Mexico is a true example. The Mexicans do just fine but it can make Americans deathly sick due to our over the top hygiene practices. 
All its gonna take is one super bug that is resistant to what few effective antibiotics we have left and it will be over for all of us. 
In European countries, you damn near have to be on your death bed to get a small dose of antibiotics to treat bacterial illnesses.


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## fairpoint (May 9, 2013)

Bottom line guys and girls ...Its out there and if you have an open wound...you are taking a big chance...no matter how tough or bad ass u are.....these crabbers and oysterman that got affected dealt with extreme exposure to the environment all the time but its what they couldn't see is what could have been their biggest threat.....I hate the thought of it but I am aware of the threat at least now.....


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## SouthAlabamaSlayer (Oct 13, 2011)

SHO-NUFF said:


> The old saying Don't drink the water in Mexico is a true example. The Mexicans do just fine but it can make Americans deathly sick due to our over the top hygiene practices.



Dude, that has nothing to do with it. It has to do with inherited and acquired antibodies. They have them because they've lived there their whole life, we don't because we have never been exposed to those organisms. Nothing to do with us being clean.


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## spinfactor (Sep 22, 2013)

The CDC recommends the following precautions to avoid Vibrio vulnificus infections: 


1. Avoid exposing open wounds to warm saltwater, brackish water or to raw shellfish
2. Wear protective clothing when handling raw shellfish
3. Cook shellfish thoroughly and avoid food contamination with juices from raw seafood
4. Eat shellfish promptly after cooking and refrigerate leftovers


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## TeaSea (Sep 28, 2013)

SHO-NUFF said:


> This, along with over prescribed antibiotics has made us vulnerable to several things.


I am continuously amazed at magical properties people believe antibiotics have.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

SHO-NUFF said:


> This is a big part of the problem.
> We have become such a "Clean" society thanks to anti-bacterial soap, our bodies can't fight off bacteria very well. Our immune system is weak because we have over protected it.
> This, along with over prescribed antibiotics has made us vulnerable to several things. Our bodies are wimps. The old saying Don't drink the water in Mexico is a true example. The Mexicans do just fine but it can make Americans deathly sick due to our over the top hygiene practices.
> All its gonna take is one super bug that is resistant to what few effective antibiotics we have left and it will be over for all of us.
> In European countries, you damn near have to be on your death to get a small dose of antibiotics to treat bacterial illnesses.


Wow. You sound crazy


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## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

Captain Woody Woods said:


> Wow. You sound crazy


He's dead on!!!


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Argument: Begin.


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## Wharf Rat (Sep 27, 2007)

I thought it was pretty well documented that over prescription of antibiotics is making them much less effective. And as for the Mexico thing, I guarantee you if I moved down there and started drinking the water everyday, then my body would adjust to it so that means there's more to it than inheritance...


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## SouthAlabamaSlayer (Oct 13, 2011)

Wharf Rat said:


> I thought it was pretty well documented that over prescription of antibiotics is making them much less effective. And as for the Mexico thing, I guarantee you if I moved down there and started drinking the water everyday, then my body would adjust to it so that means there's more to it than inheritance...



Did I say it was just inheritance? Nope. and you're right, you would develop immunity, which is why I said inherited AND ACQUIRED immunity. Don't leave out the other part of my post and just address one.


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## Wharf Rat (Sep 27, 2007)

SouthAlabamaSlayer said:


> Did I say it was just inheritance? Nope. and you're right, you would develop immunity, which is why I said inherited AND ACQUIRED immunity. Don't leave out the other part of my post and just address one.


So then we agree, us being an extremely "clean" society, such as how clean our drinking water is does have something to do with it...


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## wanabe fishing (Sep 28, 2007)

Vibrio vulnificus - Why did they give it a name that sounds like a battery operated device that is kept in a draw of the night stand?


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## SouthAlabamaSlayer (Oct 13, 2011)

Wharf Rat said:


> So then we agree, us being an extremely "clean" society, such as how clean our drinking water is does have something to do with it...



Nope. Two different sources of drinking water. One contaminated with bacteria specific to that region, and ours not. We don't have that bacteria in our water, so we don't acquire an immunity. It has nothing to do with being purified. All the other first world countries would have the same issue if they went to Mexico.


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## Wharf Rat (Sep 27, 2007)

SouthAlabamaSlayer said:


> Nope. Two different sources of drinking water. One contaminated with bacteria specific to that region, and ours not. We don't have that bacteria in our water, so we don't acquire an immunity. It has nothing to do with being purified. All the other first world countries would have the same issue if they went to Mexico.


Huh, and here I thought Mexico/US was all just one big region at one point in time...at least the bacteria down there know not to cross the border, now if only their residents would learn to do the same.


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## 192 (Oct 1, 2007)

Is Vibrio Vulnificus a symptom or cure of Sandy Vaginitis? How bout Ballbus Chinular Ecchymosis? (bruising of the chin from balls being slapped against it). 

Those are interesting questions.


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## SouthAlabamaSlayer (Oct 13, 2011)

Wharf Rat said:


> Huh, and here I thought Mexico/US was all just one big region at one point in time...at least the bacteria down there know not to cross the border, now if only their residents would learn to do the same.



We have sanitation and proper water handling techniques in place that keep the bacteria from thriving in our water systems. Not that we couldn't have the bacteria, we choose not to because it can cause other issues.


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

Wharf Rat said:


> I thought it was pretty well documented that over prescription of antibiotics is making them much less effective. ]
> 
> For most of them you are right but the quinolones are another story.
> 
> The main problem I had with a lot of the F.P. was they would right a script for Z-Pac if the patient demanded it so as not to loose the patient to another Dr. This class of drugs is a problem with over prescribing.


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## Gator McKlusky (Oct 8, 2013)

Got news for ya, ain't nothin' out there can kill Ron Woodroof in 30 days. LoL


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## Gator McKlusky (Oct 8, 2013)

SHO-NUFF said:


> This is a big part of the problem.
> We have become such a "Clean" society thanks to anti-bacterial soap, our bodies can't fight off bacteria very well. Our immune system is weak because we have over protected it.
> This, along with over prescribed antibiotics has made us vulnerable to several things. Our bodies are wimps. The old saying Don't drink the water in Mexico is a true example. The Mexicans do just fine but it can make Americans deathly sick due to our over the top hygiene practices.
> All its gonna take is one super bug that is resistant to what few effective antibiotics we have left and it will be over for all of us.
> In European countries, you damn near have to be on your death to get a small dose of antibiotics to treat bacterial illnesses.


 
Yea well throughout Asia, Mexico and most of the rest of the second world you can walk up to a corner drugstore and buy Ciprobay and and any penicillin derivative you want over the counter without a prescription. Meanwhile American and European doctors (according to your post) are holding back on antibiotics to treat illness. Took me three trips to the doc over a month period trying to knock out a sinus/ear infection that i had last winter, that felt like it was damn near gonna kill me. Finally they prescribed an antiobotic on the third trip that knocked it out. 

Just saying, that what American docs are doing in holding back on antibiotics to treat illness is not gonna do a lick of good when a lot of the the rest of the world isn't participating.


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## knot @ Work (Apr 18, 2012)

This might slow down the tourist from coming to florida for the beaches in August.

I am surprised our liberal media on TV reported on this so fast this year. We had the same issue last year.

Might just be to take away from the border problems, IRS, Bengazi, Lawsuits, Impeachment procedings, Hillary and Bill's girfriends. Huseins golf and campaign trips, Hampton vacation for August,.17 plus trillion in debt. IDF vs Hamas terrorist.


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## knot @ Work (Apr 18, 2012)

You know,

All of those made up problems without a smidgen of corruption....


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

wanabe fishing said:


> Vibrio vulnificus - Why did they give it a name that sounds like a battery operated device that is kept in a draw of the night stand?


It's a short i sound, not long


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## Play'N Hooky Too (Sep 29, 2007)

SHO-NUFF said:


> This is a big part of the problem.
> We have become such a "Clean" society thanks to anti-bacterial soap, our bodies can't fight off bacteria very well. Our immune system is weak because we have over protected it.
> This, along with over prescribed antibiotics has made us vulnerable to several things. Our bodies are wimps. The old saying Don't drink the water in Mexico is a true example. The Mexicans do just fine but it can make Americans deathly sick due to our over the top hygiene practices.
> All its gonna take is one super bug that is resistant to what few effective antibiotics we have left and it will be over for all of us.
> In European countries, you damn near have to be on your death to get a small dose of antibiotics to treat bacterial illnesses.


 It's not that our immune systems have individually become weaker it's just that we have more people within our population who would have otherwise died without access to modern medical care and public hygiene standards. Populations of Mexico, India, Nigeria, etc are able to "drink the water" because the ones whose immune systems can't handle it die. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_mortality

It's called natural selection. You could have the entire population of Pensacola line up and take a sip out of the primary clarifier at the sewage treatment plant everyday and still only have about a 70 - 80% 5-year mortality rate. If you are willing to accept that level of mortality then why spent the money on sewage treatment and all the associated infrastructure cost? Those wimps who can't fight off a little case of cholera we don't need them around anyway right?


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## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

Play'N Hooky said:


> It's not that our immune systems have individually become weaker it's just that we have more people within our population who would have otherwise died without access to modern medical care and public hygiene standards. Populations of Mexico, India, Nigeria, etc are able to "drink the water" because the ones whose immune systems can't handle it die.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_mortality
> 
> It's called natural selection. You could have the entire population of Pensacola line up and take a sip out of the primary clarifier at the sewage treatment plant everyday and still only have about a 70 - 80% 5-year mortality rate. If you are willing to accept that level of mortality then why spent the money on sewage treatment and all the associated infrastructure cost? Those wimps who can't fight off a little case of cholera we don't need them around anyway right?


This way of thinking is dangerous and terrible for pharmaceutical business. Watch your mouth!


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

I don't think I really intended this thread to try and solve the worlds problems. Although I'm sure everyone has an opinion, and it is a open forum...I just wanted the members to know about precautions of what's happening in the area, that's all!


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

Just FYI, bad water is bad water. In every country where there is bad water, even the locals get sick from it. They don't get immune to it. This is true in Haiti, India, Mexico, etc. Go there and you will see.


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## SHunter (Jun 19, 2009)

*freshwater*



Mac1528 said:


> I don't think I really intended this thread to try and solve the worlds problems. Although I'm sure everyone has an opinion, and it is a open forum...I just wanted the members to know about precautions of what's happening in the area, that's all!


Your point is well taken. When I was in college studying marine bio I learned about a freshwater marine amoeba (Naegleria fowler) that lives in the substrate of freshwater lakes and rivers of semi tropical areas of Florida. During the summer the bottom is stirred up and this amoeba floats around in the water column. Winter months is goes dormant and back into the sediment. Just the other day I read that a couple of kids swimming in some Florida lakes got the amoeba through their nose and it traveled to the brain. Once in the brain it multiples and causes lesions which leads to hemmorhaging. The amoeba is almost always fatal but lately one kid survived it. If you swim in freshwater here during the summer, it is advisable to wear nose plugs. Since it is so rare most of us don't bother.


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

SHunter said:


> Your point is well taken. When I was in college studying marine bio I learned about a freshwater marine amoeba (Naegleria fowler) that lives in the substrate of freshwater lakes and rivers of semi tropical areas of Florida. During the summer the bottom is stirred up and this amoeba floats around in the water column. Winter months is goes dormant and back into the sediment. Just the other day I read that a couple of kids swimming in some Florida lakes got the amoeba through their nose and it traveled to the brain. Once in the brain it multiples and causes lesions which leads to hemmorhaging. The amoeba is almost always fatal but lately one kid survived it. If you swim in freshwater here during the summer, it is advisable to wear nose plugs. Since it is so rare most of us don't bother.


Yes!! We also had a survivor child here last year and it was from a infected public pool at a fun park.


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