Flesh eating bacteria in multiple US waterways. Thanks RFK Jr.

[applegrove]

Wade in the water, Bobby. Show that bacteria how many push-ups you can do.

— Paulette Feeney ❌️👑 (@pauletteparis1.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T19:29:18.773Z

[WestMichRad]

1. Is there an authoritative source

… naming which waterways host these bacteria?

[applegrove]

4. I used AI:

"So rather than a single river or lake, it's coastal estuaries, bays, and brackish river-mouths along the Gulf and Atlantic — exposure typically comes from wading, swimming, or wound contact in that warm salty/brackish water, or from eating raw shellfish harvested there".

Applegrove: I don't use AI for the DU but this is important. AI does science okay.

Also:

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/h...

— The happy 🦊 (@serfoxtail.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T18:30:23.531Z

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/how-to-protect-yourself-from-vibrio-vulnificus-the-bacteria-found-in-some-coastal-waters/

[chowder66]

6. From 2025: So far this year, there have been approximately 82 confirmed cases in 18 states

So far this year, there have been approximately 82 confirmed cases in 18 states, according to the latest data from the CDC's BEAM (Bacteria, Enterics, Ameba, and Mycotics) Dashboard and case counts published by state health departments and provided to TODAY.com by state health officials.

So far, the following states have reported cases of Vibrio vulnificus in 2025, as of Aug. 20:

Louisiana: 20
Florida: 17
Maryland: 9
North Carolina: 7
Virginia: 8
Texas: 5
Alabama: 3
Georgia: 2
South Carolina: 2
Arizona: 1
California: 1
Connecticut: 1
Mississippi: 1
Massachusetts: 1
New Jersey: 1
New Mexico: 1
New York: 1
Arizona: 1
(These case counts are preliminary and subject to change.)

Deaths From Vibrio Vulnificus in 2025

Three states have reported confirmed deaths due to Vibrio vulnificus infection so far this year, according to state health departments.

Louisiana: 4
Florida: 5
Maryland: 1
North Carolina has also reported one death due to infection with a different vibrio species, a North Carolina Department of Health spokesperson told TODAY.com.

The link to the CDC dashboard is in the article....
https://www.today.com/health/disease/flesh-eating-bacteria-vibrio-rising-2025-rcna223152


Unfortunately this is from 2025.

[chowder66]

10. 2026 article

In recent years, scientists have documented Vibrio expanding into places that were once too cold to support the bacteria, pushing as far north along the U.S. East Coast as Maine and appearing with more prevalence in temperate seas around the world.


Just how worried we should be about the changing dynamics of Vibrio bacteria depends on who you ask and what you read. The gruesome and fast-acting nature of the vulnificus infection makes it enticing fodder for local and national news media, fueling a spree of terrifying reports every time a new severe infection or death surfaces.

https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/23/a-deadly-bacteria-is-creeping-up-the-atlantic-coast-how-worried-should-you-be/

Here is the Grist article
https://grist.org/health/vibrio-bacteria-florida-shellfish/

[ReRe]

11. Yeah and these numbers are hard to come by, now that the CDC has been gutted.

[dave99]

2. need to get rid of shitstain

[wnylib]

15. Maybe the bacteria can do it for us.

And take out Wormbrain. Vance, Musk, and Miller with them.

Karma.

[Ritabert]

3. You can assume any southern fresh water has flesh-eating bacteria.

Florida is ground zero but it's everywhere. Of course the #1 threat are alligators of which there are an estimated 1 million in Florida.

[applegrove]

5. Brackish water on the Atlantic and Gulf.

[Ritabert]

7. Yes. I haven't been in fresh water aside from a swimming pool in years.

[applegrove]

8. Scary.

[Ritabert]

14. Yes!

[tanyev]

9. Wow, the Florida tourism campaign writes itself:

Fear of flesh-eating bacteria keeping you from visiting Florida?

Don’t worry, the gators will kill you long before the bacteria will!

[Igel]

16. Why you hatin' on other other Gulf States?

https://www.fox26houston.com/news/more-alligator-sightings-houston-area-during-mating-season

And if TX and FL, you know it's true for LA, MI, AL. Call them 'tourist attractions' in which tourists, mayhaps, are permitted to feed the attractions (but it's not recommended).

I found amusing the bit,

He is the largest that we’ve ever seen. We’ve spotted about two or three gators this year. They just lay out on the bank across from the elementary school.

The amusing part is the utterly ho-hum attitude. "Yeah, there are 'gators across the ____ from the elementary school students. Don't see the problem."

[Ponietz]

12. ...and alligators

https://www.krqe.com/news/national/incredibly-tragic-officials-identify-woman-killed-by-alligator-in-florida-river/

[WestMichRad]

13. A big thank you to everyone who responded with additional information!