The massive amounts of seaweed washing up on Florida’s shores lately are smelly, ugly and potentially deadly.
In May, Florida Atlantic University researchers published a study finding flesh-eating bacteria living on a blob of microplastics and sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean that is double the width of the U.S.
These bacteria can cause intestinal distress and can even result in a life-threatening condition that kills muscles, nerves and flesh and eventually causes sepsis and death. They can enter the body through open wounds or from the consumption of raw fish like oysters.
This discovery is a reminder to avoid seaweed, avoid exposing open wounds to seawater and to be cautious of raw fish, said Dr. Jose Alexander, clinical microbiologist and director of microbiology, virology and immunology for AdventHealth Orlando.
“Are you going to stop going to the ocean in the summer? Probably not. But if you have an open wound, try to avoid the water,” he said. “Maybe avoid [being] close to that seaweed, not only for the Vibrio, but who knows what else can be in that seaweed.”
There were a little more than 70 cases of this flesh-eating bacteria in Florida over the last year, according to state health department data.
That being said, the bacteria — part of a family known as Vibrio — isn’t all bad. The ocean is this bacteria’s natural environment, and they play a vital role in keeping the ocean healthy, Alexander noted.
It’s normal for the bacteria to spread more rapidly in the summer months, because it thrives in heat, University of Central Florida scientist and assistant professor Salvador Almagro-Moreno wrote in an email.
“The claims are nothing truly groundbreaking or something to be scared of,” Almagro-Moreno wrote. “The worrisome aspect is, will the warming of the oceans change those dynamics?”
Almagro-Moreno’s research focuses on the evolution of bacterial pathogens, specifically the bacteria known informally as the flesh-eater.
Recent studies say that this flesh-eating bacteria is thriving due to climate change, and predict cases will increase as the ocean warms more. Massive algae blooms, which evidently make perfect hosts for dangerous bacteria, are also becoming more common, likely due to fertilizer runoff.
Another tiny organism to avoid comes from freshwater: brain-eating amoebas.
They infect swimmers in lakes, rivers and wells by entering through the nose, rising to the brain and destroying brain tissue, leading to brain swelling and, ultimately, death, all in the span of a few days. About 97% of patients who contract this amoeba die.
On that front, Alexander has some good news.
In July 2022, AdventHealth Central Florida scientists and doctors announced they had created a test to rapidly diagnose the three most common types of amoebas by analyzing samples of a clear fluid that flows around the brain and spinal cord. Prior to that, most tests took so long that infected patients would die before the results came back, leaving no time for treatment.
Recent experiments confirmed these samples can be safely shipped overnight at room temperature, which simplifies and speeds up the shipping and diagnostic process, allowing more patients from across the country to be saved through AdventHealth’s technology.
Ccatherman@orlandosentinel.com; @CECatherman Twitter