A personal post

I am posting this because I think this information is important, since many of us travel to the Gulf Coast.  

A close friend of mine told me tonight that "Harvey", another friend, is in the hospital with a life-threatening infection that he acquired through a cut on his leg while Jeep-ing in the surf off of the Gulf Coast of Florida.  Harvey (obviously not his real name) is in his 50's, and has chronic Hepatitis C infection and diabetes.  When my friend told me he was sick, the first thing that came to mind was a Staphylococcus infection, only because my uncle had such an infection in his hand many years ago, with similar signs and symptoms (s/s).  Then my friend told me she thought it started with a V.  Immediately I thought of Vibrio vulnificans, but thought it most likely associated with his diabetes, since the entry point seemed to be his lower leg.

I then went to my most trusted ally (www.cdc.gov) and discovered that one of the biggest risk factors for V. vulnificans, other than being immunocompromised, is chronic liver disease.  

Here's the link...  http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/vibriov_gi.html

 

Well, I'm new to this Blogging thing, it looks like it might be below the post.

Anyhow, here's the speedy science part.  V. vulnificans is well-known as a contaminant in raw shellfish in warm ocean waters (like the Gulf of Mexico).  It is a halophile, which means it prefers salt water environments (halophile =  salt-loving).  In the past year or two, a woman with a compromised immune system died from V.v. contracted from eating raw oysters at a well-known restaurant on the outskirts of Atlanta.

Less well-known (at least to me), is V. vulnificans infection of wounds.  According to the attached link to the CDC, a person with chronic liver disease or impaired immune system is 80 times more likely to get a blood infection as a result of an initial infection with V. vulnificans.

Vibrio vulnificans is a Gram-negative organism (also related to the bacterium that causes cholera), which means it produces, among other things, a substance called endotoxin.  Endotoxin, AKA Lipid A, is a substance that our immune system finds particularly annoying, especially in the bloodstream.  Endotoxin is a normal part of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.  However, when these organisms multiply in our bloodstream (in particular), they release some endotoxin, and our immune system tends to overreact, causing endotoxic shock.  Endotoxic shock often results in death (see article for 50% mortality rate for V. vulnificans blood infections).

The moral to this story?  If you are immunocompromised for any reason, or have chronic liver disease, please don't swim in warm ocean waters with open wounds (even scratches).  Don't eat raw oysters or other raw seafood products.  Harvey has been given a 5% chance of survival, with complete amputation of his leg.

Edited to post that this man lost his battle this week. :(   We don't know if he ever got out of the hospital.