Flesh-Eating Bacteria Could Kill Your Summer Plans—Here’s Whether You Should Be Worried About Going to the Beach

If you get freaked out imagining what’s lurking in the water when you swim, you may want to sit down before reading this: A dangerous “flesh-eating” bacteria is on the rise in waterways along the East Coast—just in time for summer. It is a growing menace in marine waters from the Gulf Coast all the way to the Hamptons and south of Boston.

What exactly is this troublemaker—and just how much of a risk is it? To get the story on this new health scare, I reached out to two marine ecology experts and one infectious disease doctor. Read on to find out how this microbe can harm your health, what to watch out for and whether it’s still safe to swim this summer. (Fingers crossed!)

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What bacterium is washing up on U.S. shores?

The bad-news bug is Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that causes life-threatening skin and gastrointestinal infections. While it has traditionally been most common in the warm coastal waters of Florida, Louisiana and Alabama, Vibrio vulnificus is now turning up—and posing a health threat—all the way up the East Coast.

What is Vibrio vulnificus?

The species is one of more than 60 subtypes of a broader group of Vibrio bacteria. Infections of Vibrio vulnificus can lead to necrotizing fasciitis, aka the dreaded flesh-eating disease, which causes soft tissue to die. In Latin, vulnificus means “inflicting wounds,” and that tells you everything.

“It can get in through a pinhole-sized cut in the skin, and you can die within 24 hours,” says Rutul Dalal, MD, an infectious disease doctor with Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. As if that weren’t terrifying enough, if you eat shellfish contaminated with this bacterium, you can develop a serious and potentially fatal gastrointestinal infection.

Where does Vibrio come from?

These naturally occurring microorganisms thrive in warm, brackish water (where salt and fresh water meet), so Vibrio vulnificus can be anywhere, at any time, explains J.P. Brooker, director of the Florida Conservation Program at the Ocean Conservancy. “But excessive nutrient pollution in the form of sewage and runoff can cause Vibrio to bloom in excess and to go places where we don’t normally find it,” he adds.

In the Northeast, it used to exist “at very low levels that never caused any problems,” according to ecologist Christopher Gobler, PhD, a professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, but it is now more common. In 2023, a New Yorker died of it, he says.

In the past several years, there have been Vibrio vulnificus infections in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In 2026, a research team led by Gobler found Vibrio vulnificus hot spots in several New York estuaries (systems where ocean water and fresh water mix), including Sagaponack Pond and Mecox Bay on the South Fork of Long Island.

So why is it showing up more than ever before?

The biggest factor in Vibrio’s spread is—you guessed it!—climate change, which is causing warming water temperatures in the Northeast. “Given New York waters have been warming at three times the global average in summer during the past 20 years, higher densities are to be expected here,” Gobler says.

Pollution is a big part of the problem too. “It likes dirty, warm conditions,” Brooker says. Sewage and runoff from agricultural, municipal and commercial sources are increasingly manifesting as Vibrio hot spots and red tide blooms (a toxic overgrowth of algae), he notes.

Just how dangerous is Vibrio?

Infections from Vibrio vulnificus are true medical emergencies—and fast-moving ones. Without swift treatment with antibiotics, a Vibrio vulnificus infection can cause your flesh to discolor and rot, leading to worst-case outcomes such as loss of a limb, sepsis (a systemic overreaction to an infection) and death.

Infections can take several forms, none of them good. Skin-borne Vibrio vulnificus infections have a 13% fatality rate, and when Vibrio vulnificus progresses to a bloodstream infection, it is fatal 50% of the time, according to the Florida Department of Health. Infections that affect the gastrointestinal system have a 32% fatality rate.

Most deaths happen within two days, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

How do you get infected through your skin with Vibrio?

The bacteria enter through a cut in your skin. “The bacteria need a point of entry into the body to cause an infection, such as open wounds,” Gobler says. For this reason, the CDC recommends that anyone with a wound avoid contact with brackish water or salt water.

Not to scare you, but it is possible to contract Vibrio vulnificus even if you start your beach day with perfectly healthy skin. If you scrape up your feet on shells or sea glass, say, then step into water containing the bacterium, you could have a situation. That’s more or less what happened to Brooker, who isn’t just an expert in Vibrio—he’s also been infected. Ten years ago, while fly-fishing around St. Petersburg, Florida, he contracted Vibrio after stepping on a stingray (he got prompt treatment—more on that in a minute).

You can also contract a skin Vibrio infection by touching contaminated seafood. If you have an open cut, the CDC advises avoiding contact with raw seafood.

What are the signs of a flesh-eating infection?

If you’ve been in warm coastal waters and have any signs of an infection, you need to get it checked out in an emergency room, according to Dr. Dalal. Red flags to watch for include swelling, redness, warmth and pain that’s disproportionate to the size of the cut, he says. Do not wait for it to start oozing pus—you’ll want to get on antibiotics before it reaches that stage.

“The most important sign is rapidly increasing pain and swelling,” he says. Be sure to tell the ER providers that you were in warm salt water so they consider Vibrio.

How do you get a Vibrio GI infection?

These nasty gastrointestinal bugs come from eating contaminated shellfish. You’re most likely to get a Vibrio infection from bad oysters, clams or mussels, because they filter water through their body so they harbor more of it, says Dr. Dalal.

The fresher the seafood is, the less likely it is to make you sick. For that reason, “the FDA has put out guidelines saying that as soon as clams, mussels or oysters are caught, you need to immediately refrigerate them, while still on the boat,” Dr. Dalal adds.

Symptoms of this nasty infection often include watery diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramping, vomiting, chills and fever. It can be quite severe and require antibiotics, so if you have food poisoning from bad seafood, go to a doctor stat, or head to the emergency department.

What are the chances you’ll contract it at the beach this summer?

Infections may be on the rise, but they are still fairly rare. Since 2000, there have been only around 3,000 Vibrio vulnificus infections reported in the U.S.—about 150 to 200 per year, according to the CDC. (There are 80,000 Vibrio infections each year from additional species.) They are still most common in the Gulf states, though you can get exposed anywhere with warm coastal water.

Your chances of catching Vibrio go up as water temperatures rise, so they peak in the dog days of late summer. However, in Florida and other southern coastal states, water temperatures are already high, so there’s a chance of contracting it earlier in the season, Brooker says.

Is it even safe to go to the beach?

Don’t worry that your summer is ruined: You can absolutely still swim and enjoy water sports, experts say. Just stay alert for any signs that you’ve caught this rare but dangerous infection and get prompt medical attention. At the same time, if you have an open wound or you are immune compromised due to cancer, liver disease, advanced age or another condition, you should consider staying out of the warm water.

How can you stay safe?

Defense is the best offense. A few simple steps can help you minimize your chances of getting infected.

Don’t hit the water with an open wound. “You should not swim if you have any cuts, especially if your immunity is compromised,” says Dr. Dalal. If you aren’t immunocompromised and really want to swim or boat, make sure to cover your open skin completely with a waterproof bandage, he adds.
Don’t handle raw seafood if you have open wounds. Be especially careful to avoid touching clams, oysters and mussels, which put you at the greatest risk for Vibrio.
Wear water shoes in coastal waters if you are immunocompromised. This can help prevent your feet from getting scraped, which could make you vulnerable to Vibrio, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Check for outbreaks before swimming. State wildlife agencies monitor for Vibrio, so check for alerts before going in the water, Brooker says.

What should you do if you think you’ve been infected?

If you’ve been in warm coastal waters and notice any signs of infection, don’t chance it—“go to the emergency room,” Dr. Dalal says. If you do contract a Vibrio vulnificus infection, you’ll need immediate antibiotics. Dr. Dalal says doxycycline, ciprofloxacin or levaquin are often given. “They can cover these infections fairly quickly,” he says.

Brooker is thankful he went to the ER when his foot swelled to the size of a football after stepping on the stingray. The doctors didn’t wait for his test results (which would have been positive for the infection) before starting him on intravenous antibiotics. He took three oral antibiotics at home and fully recovered.

“I grew up in Florida, and so I’ve heard nightmare stories about Vibrio infections my whole life. You must be vigilant,” Brooker says. “Being vigilant saved me from an uglier outcome.”

About the experts

Chris Gobler, PhD, is a professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University. His research includes coastal ecosystem ecology and the effects of climate change.
J.P. Brooker is the director of the Florida Conservation Program at Ocean Conservancy, where he addresses coastal conservation issues, including water quality, marine debris and sea-level rise.
Rutul Dalal, MD, is an infectious disease physician with Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Pennsylvania.

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Sources:

Christopher Gobler, PhD, professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University; email interview, May 20, 2026
J.P. Brooker, director of the Florida Conservation Program at Ocean Conservancy; phone interview, May 21, 2026
Rutul Dalal, MD, infectious disease doctor with Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Pennsylvania; phone interview, May 21, 2026
Florida Health: “Vibrio Vulnificus”
Massachusetts Department of Public Health: “Department of Public Health alerts public to rare Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in coastal waters”
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Notes from the Field: Severe Vibrio vulnificus Infections During Heat Waves — Three Eastern U.S. States, July–August 2023”
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “About Vibrio Infection”
Infectious Diseases: “Vibrio vulnificus epidemiology and risk factors for mortality in the United States, 2000–2022”
Stat Pearls: “Vibrio Vulnificus Infection”

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