Two new cases of Vibrio vulnificus, commonly known as “flesh-eating bacteria,” were reported in Florida during the week of May 28 to June 6, according to the state Department of Health.
The infections were reported in Okaloosa and Palm Beach counties, the most recent cases listed in the state’s online database.
Florida has recorded eight cases so far this year, including a Marion County case reported the previous week. Earlier cases were reported in Lee, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, St. Johns and Palm Beach counties.
At this point last year, Florida had recorded five cases. The state reported 33 cases in 2025.
Vibrio vulnificus is naturally found in warm brackish and salt waters, especially around the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard. It can infect people through open wounds exposed to contaminated water or through eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters.
“It’s associated with different shellfish and it’s found naturally here,” said Dr. Norman Beatty, a UF Health infectious disease specialist, on “Florida Matters Live & Local” this week.
“When we enter the water with a wound that’s open or sustain a wound in the water or eat a contaminated oyster that’s not well cooked or raw, we can come down with this infection and in some cases it can be deadly.”
The infection is rare, with an estimated 100 to 200 cases reported in the United States each year. But Florida is considered a hotspot because warm temperatures and warm coastal waters create conditions where the bacteria can thrive.
The risk is higher for people with weakened immune systems, including those with liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or high levels of iron in the blood.
Beatty told "LIve & Local" host Matthew Peddie the severity of an infection can vary widely.
“A person may develop a minor infection through a wound and it may not disseminate into the bloodstream, versus another person may have some risk factors and it can quickly become a rapid flesh-eating or necrotizing infection or into the bloodstream and make someone very sick and have sepsis,” he said.
The bacteria does not actually “eat” flesh, but can produce toxins that cause tissue to die.
“Pain at that site, some swelling, some redness developing, and it may be changing over several hours of time and even getting a blister” can be warning signs of a serious wound infection, Beatty said.
Those symptoms should prompt someone to seek medical care quickly, especially if the wound was exposed to salt or brackish water.
“I usually advocate for our patients telling providers, ‘Hey, I’ve been in the brackish water, been in the saltwater, this wound was exposed. Consider Vibrio as a cause of this,’” Beatty said, so the patient can receive the appropriate antibiotics.
Health officials recommend avoiding warm coastal waters if you have an open wound, keeping wounds covered and thoroughly cooking shellfish before eating. Surfaces that come into contact with raw or undercooked shellfish should also be disinfected.
Florida has seen increases in Vibrio cases in recent years, with spikes after hurricanes that push warm coastal waters and debris inland. After Hurricane Helene in 2024, several coastal counties reported dozens of infections.
WUFT's Jocelyn Torres contributed to this report.
