Published: 2015-06-24 years Updated: 2019-05-08
Author: Thomas C Weiss | Contact: www.disabled-world.com
Peer-reviewed publications: N / A
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Summary: Vibrio Vulnificus can cause illness in people who eat contaminated seafood, or have open wounds exposed to seawater. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as Vibrio parahaemolyticus and cholera. This bacterium is commonly isolated from oysters and other shellfish in warm coastal waters.
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Main announcement
Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as Vibrio parahaemolyticus and cholera. It normally lives in warm seawater and is part of a group of Vibrio bacteria known as ‘saltophilic’, because they require salt. V. vulnificus can cause illness in people who eat contaminated seafood, or have open wounds exposed to seawater.
In healthy individuals, ingestion of V. vulnificus can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In immunocompromised individuals, especially those with chronic liver disease, V. vulnificus can infect a person’s bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by chills, fever, blistering skin lesions and hypotension. V. vulnificus bacteremia is fatal about half the time. It can cause skin infections when an open wound is exposed to warm seawater. Infection can lead to broken skin and ulcers. Immunocompromised individuals are at increased risk for this organism to enter the bloodstream and cause fatal complications.
V. vulnificus is a rare cause of the disease, but it is also underreported.
Between 1988-2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports of more than 900 V. vulnificus infections from the Gulf Coast states, where the majority of cases occurred. Prior to 2007, there was no national surveillance system for V. vulnificus, although CDC has partnered with the states:
- Texas
- Florida
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
To track the number of V. vulnificus infections in the Gulf Coast region. In 2007, infections caused by V. vulnificus and other Vibrio species became widespread nationwide.
People at increased risk
Immunocompromised people, especially those with chronic liver disease, are at risk for V. vulnificus from eating raw seafood – especially oysters.
A recent study found that people with these pre-existing conditions were 80 times more likely to develop a blood infection caused by V. vulnificus than healthy people.
This bacterium is usually isolated from oysters and other shellfish in warm summer coastal waters. Because it is found naturally in warm ocean waters, people with open wounds can be exposed to V. vulnificus through direct contact with seawater.
There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the bacteria.
Diagnosis of V. Vulnificus
V. vulnificus infection is diagnosed by wound culture, blood, or stool.
Notifying the laboratory when an infection is suspected will help because a single growth medium should be used to increase diagnostic yield.
Physicians should raise suspicion for the organism when people develop fever, illness or shock after eating raw seafood – especially oysters, or developing wound infections after exposure to seawater. .
Treatment of V. Vulnificus
If a doctor suspects V. vulnificus, prompt treatment is recommended because antibiotics improve a person’s chances of survival.
Pay close attention to the wound site; Sometimes it is necessary to amputate a person’s infected limb.
Clinical trials to control infection with V. vulnificus have not been performed.
The antibiotic recommendations below are taken from literature published by infectious disease experts; They are based on animal models and case reports.
The person’s wound or hemorrhagic wound should be cultured and all strains of V. vulnificus should be shipped to a public health laboratory. Blood cultures are recommended if the affected person has bleeding, fever, or any signs of sepsis. Treatment of V. vulnificus also includes antibiotic therapy:
Doxycycline, 100 mg. PO/IV twice daily for 7-14 days, as well as third-generation cephalosporins such as ceftazidime 1-2 g. IV/IM every 8 hours.
Single fluoroquinolone regimens such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, or gatifloxacin have been reported to be at least as effective in animal models as combination regimens with cephalosporins and doxycycline.
Children, where fluoroquinolones and doxycycline are contraindicated, can be treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole with aminoglycosides.
Any necrotic tissue should be cleaned up. Severe cases may require amputation or amputation of the plantar fascia.
Oysters and safety
Although oysters can only be legally harvested from waters that are not contaminated with feces, even legally harvested oysters can become contaminated with V. vulnificus because the bacteria are naturally occurring in the environment. sea. V. vulnificus does not change the taste, appearance or smell of oysters.
Timely and voluntary reporting of V. vulnificus infections to CDC and to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regional offices helps in a collaborative effort to improve investigation of these infections.
FDA regional experts with expert-level knowledge of shellfish help state officials ‘retrace’ shellfish and, when informed of cases quickly, can obtain Sample harvested water for potential sources of contamination and close oyster beds when problems are identified.
Ongoing research may help predict the environment or other factors that increase the likelihood of oysters carrying disease.
Facts and statistics
Vibrio vulnificus, a highly virulent bacterium, found in marine environments such as estuaries, brackish ponds, or coastal areas, V. vulnificus is related to V. cholerae, the causative agent of cholera. Vibrio vulnificus is a highly virulent bacterium that can cause:
- Acute gastroenteritis caused by eating raw or undercooked shellfish;
- Necrotic wound infection of the injured skin exposed to contaminated seawater;
- Invasive sepsis after eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters.
- Vibrio vulnificus is a highly lethal opportunistic human pathogen and responsible for the majority of reported seafood-related deaths in the United States.
- A review of 459 US cases reported by the FDA between 1992 and 2007 found that 51.6% of patients died. 85.6% of cases were male.
- Of the 180 cases between 2002 and 2007 for which FDA data are available, 92.8% of the patients ate raw oysters prior to the onset of symptoms and 95.3% had some pre-existing condition.
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• Citation of this Page (APA): Thomas C Weiss. (2015, June 24). Vibrio vulnificus: Risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. The world of people with disabilities. Accessed October 23, 2022 from www.disabled-world.com/health/vibrio-vulnificus.php
• Permalinks: Vibrio Vulnificus: Risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment
