Vibrio vulnificus: A Highly Virulent Bacterium on the Rise

Vibrio vulnificus is a highly virulent gram-negative aquatic bacterium found in warm brackish waters and in molluscum shellfish worldwide that can cause sepsis after ingestion of raw oysters or undercooked molluscum shellfish as well as deadly skin and soft-tissue infections from immersion in contaminated seawater. Populations at a higher risk of infections are men older than 60 years with diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, renal disease, or elevated iron levels and those who are immunocompromised. Three severe syndromes caused by V. vulnificus are gastroenteritis, primary septicemia, and wound infections. Gastroenteritis caused by ingestion is self-limited; however, sepsis can develop rapidly with a mean survival rate of 50%, and wound infections can progress to necrotizing skin and soft-tissue infections with 24 hours. Early identification, prevention of hypotension, initiation of antibiotics, and surgical debridement of necrotic wound tissue is paramount to survival. Public education and awareness of this deadly pathogen is necessary to prevent exposure and improve clinical outcomes, especially for high-risk populations.