GALVESTON — One strain of a “flesh-eating” bacterium is grabbing headlines since it infected a Nacogdoches man last week during a visit to Crystal Beach.
But experts say there are a several types of bacteria that destroy human flesh. What’s more, they say, infections like the most recent one are rare.
But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t take some commonsense precautions when they’re around seawater.
Steve Gilpatrick, 58, is recovering at the University of Texas Medical Branch after suffering an infection of vibrio vulnificus that could well have been fatal.
He became infected after walking in ankle-deep water on a Bolivar Peninsula beach.
The vibrio vulnificus bacterium, which is related to the one that causes cholera, exists in all seawater. Populations of it are especially great along the Gulf in summer, when the water is warm.
Even so, only about 300 cases of infection were documented in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida between 1988 and 1995, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
There are only about 15 such cases along the Texas coast each year, said David Herndon, who heads the medical branch’s Blocker burn unit and helps treat victims of the infections.
Gilpatrick was vulnerable to the infection because he is diabetic and had a sore on his leg. People with compromised immune systems also are vulnerable.
“Healthy people don’t need to worry about this so much,” Herndon said.
Even so, everybody should be careful about exposing themselves to seawater if they have cuts, scrapes or sores.
Vibrio vulnificus isn’t the only infection-causing bacterium that occurs naturally in seawater. And — especially after heavy rains — sewage and other man-made pollutants run into the Gulf, adding other nasty bugs to the mix.
“It’s not clean, sterile water,” Herndon said.
Bacteria are especially dangerous to deep wounds or those that have been stitched up, he said. Those wounds have a tendency to trap bacteria and provide a warm environment that promotes their growth.
Anybody whose wounds are exposed to seawater should scrub them with soap and water immediately. If it appears that an infection is setting in, you should hurry to the doctor.
In the unlikely event that the bug responsible is vibrio vulnificus, the infection could become life-threatening in just three days, said Johnny Peterson, a professor of microbiology at the medical branch.
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Sea and sores
Although vibrio vulnificus is common, infections of the “flesh-eating” bacterium are relatively rare. Experts say people should take commonsense steps to avoid problems:
• People with diabetes or immune deficiencies should avoid seawater.
• Healthy people with cuts, scrapes and other wounds also should avoid seawater. If their wounds are exposed, they should scrub them with soap and water immediately.
• If an infection seems to be setting in, go to the doctor immediately.
• Wear shoes when oystering, fishing or doing anything else in which cut feet could be exposed to seawater.
• Many of the bacteria that can cause infection of the skin also can cause disease if swallowed, so small children especially should be supervised around seawater.
• Avoid eating raw oysters and other uncooked shellfish during months when Gulf waters are warm.
