Flesh-Eating Bacteria, Plastics in Sargassum may Pose ‘Triple Threat’ to Public Health | FOX Weather
False color scanning electron micrograph of Vibrio vulnificus marine bacterium. Credit: CDC Public Health Image Library
A new study found that beached Sargassum seaweed appear to contain high amounts of Vibrio bacteria, the dominant cause of death in humans from the marine environment.
Vibrio bacteria, such as Vibrio vulnificus or flesh-eating bacteria, can cause life-threatening gastrointestinal illnesses from eating infected seafood. The bacteria can also cause disease and death by infecting open wounds.
Vibrio bacteria are already known as a threat in waters around the world, but researchers sought to find a connection between the potentially deadly bacteria and two other marine phenomena: the rise of plastics and Sargassum seaweed in the ocean. Read rest of article here.