Vibrio vulnificus bacteria poses risks in Baltic and Black Seas

Health authorities have issued warnings regarding Vibrio vulnificus, commonly known as the ‘flesh-eating bacteria’. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has identified the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea as high-risk areas for increased infections during the summer months.

Transmission occurs through the consumption of contaminated seafood, leading to gastrointestinal symptoms, or through the exposure of open wounds to saltwater or brackish water. In the latter case, the bacteria can cause redness, blisters, and hemorrhagic bubbles, potentially progressing to necrotizing fasciitis. If left untreated, this can lead to limb amputation or, in approximately 5% of cases in the US, sepsis.

While traces of the bacteria were found in the Strait of Messina in 2005, experts from the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) state that the risk of infection in Italian waters remains extremely low. This is due to the pathogen’s preference for temperatures above 18°C and salinity levels between 15-25 ppt, whereas the average salinity in Italian seas is significantly higher at 36 ppt.