you should think twice about swimming in the upper Gulf

[donsu]

(and probably the whole Gulf)

this from RSOE HAVARIA

The victim of a flesh-eating bacteria was in critical but stable condition Tuesday in Galveston, Texas, after three surgeries to save him from the bacteria that infected him during a swim off the coast. Steve Gilpatrick, 58, was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a tissue-destroying disease caused by a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus, when he became ill three days after swimming during a July 8 fishing trip at Crystal Beach. Gilpatrick's physician, Dr. David Herndon, the chief of burn services and professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said the situation is life-threatening because the infection spread to Gilpatrick's blood. Gilpatrick is suffering from multiple organ failure and doctors are trying to save his leg. "I've heard of flesh-eating bacteria, but it always seemed so far away," said his wife, Linda Gilpatrick. "It's not. It's here." The bacterium thrives during summer months in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Swimmers with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients or people with liver disease, are most at risk.

A point of entry, such as an open wound, allows the bacteria into the body. Gilpatrick is diabetic and had an ulcer on his lower leg when he went swimming. His wife said he believed the sore was nearly healed. His leg became infected three days later and he began running a high fever. People can also be infected by eating contaminated seafood. Raw shellfish, particularly oysters, pose the greatest risk, according to CDC. The bacterium causes nearly all seafood-related deaths in the United States, the agency says. Symptoms of the disease include vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. When it infects the bloodstream, it can cause fever, decreased blood pressure and blistering skin lesions. )
--------------------------

fishing boat workers are and have been getting it too

[JacquesMolay]

1. Nasty stuff...

... I can't help but think it's a result of something we've done to the ocean.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. donsu, could you post the link to this if there is one?

Please. :)

I'd like to spread this about more and it will help if I can provide people with the link.

TIA!

[donsu]

5. here tis

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=12431&lang=eng

hope it goes through because you have to reg.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. Thank you!

I also got one below. This is important and I thought I should spread it around more. :)

[Rosemary2205]

3. bleck. k&r for more visibility.

[silverlib]

4. Here's the link to the article

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/TX_Flesh_Eating_Bacteria.html

Sonia posted it in the Texas forum.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. Thanks!

I hadn't seen it yet and I'd like to get the word out more on this. I've been telling people I know not to eat anything that came out of there for different reasons. This, however, was new to me.

Much appreciated. :)

[pitohui]

15. vibrio is not new and it can be destroyed by proper cooking

older people and people w. vulnerable immune systems have been warned not to eat raw oysters for some years now because of vibrio

it is a tragic thing but as far as the food supply, don't eat raw, eat properly cooked and you'll be okay

it is possible to get it from a cut from a shell by opening an oyster, i also heard of a man who thinks he got it from a cut caused by a catfish spine, better to let someone who knows what they're doing clean the fish i guess if you are vulnerable

this guy is a diabetic and here is the source of the problem, i think in days gone by we thought bathing in the ocean/salt water was healthy (i know i did) but apparently this is not true for diabetics

[Lone_Star_Dem]

20. Not a new thing

A new report. I have loved ones that live near there with health conditions that I look out for and I try to keep up with such things for their sake. I'm sure I overreact when it comes to suggesting they avoid certain foods, but I rather that than they end up in the hospital again.



Somewhat off topic.. I know a 34 year old in Houston that was just in the hospital for some strain of antibiotic resistant staph. I can't recall the exact strain. Antibiotic resistant staph is getting more and more common with each passing day it seems. I can think of three people in the past five years I know personally that have developed it. My doctor said we've mostly ourselves and our over use of antibiotics to blame for that one. As I said, off topic yet my brain insisted I purge the thought via an outlet.

[donsu]

7. thank you for a second report and link

nt

[glowing]

9. I think the biggest mistake they made was when they decided to

take the piney point phosphate super fund site and haul it to a super tanker to be sprayed in the middle of the Gulf Coast... Phosphate increases the food for these these bacterias... and the Gulf coast is one big oscilating bowl... This was don in 04 into 05... after that there was an over-abundance of red tide and fish kills.

I really think that this was the food to feed the fire so to speak.

[donsu]

10. how can that not be a crime!

nt

[shanti]

11. good advice

i would extend that warning to the california coastal waters too. i remember a few years ago when i went to newport beach and took a dip in the water. when i came out, i felt a burning sensation that had never happened before. the waters just aren't the same as they were when we were kids!:(

[alarimer]

12. These cases are very rare.

You only have to worry about it IF you have a condition that compromises your immune system. Otherwise, if you have cuts, disinfect them upon leaving the water. Vibrio is ALWAYS present in coastal waters, especially warm ones. People with compromised immune systems should NEVER eat raw oysters.

There are only a handful of cases every year; there is no need for this hysteria.

The disease that fish handlers get is caused by a different bacterium altogether, the common Staphylococcus.

[pitohui]

16. this is the correct information

it is rare, hence why they report it in the news when it happens, it's newsworthy

[donsu]

18. it is more then a handful and seafood handlers get both

nt

[bikebloke]

13. Topical fiction

Funny, I just started a popcorn sci-fi adventure thriller called The Judas Strain (By James Rollins) that brings up the same type of killer bacteria.

[flashl]

14. The Gulf in Peril

This is an old article but the issues raised are still valid. Especially, the healthcare concerns.

Deep Trouble: The Gulf in Peril http://web.naplesnews.com/deeptrouble/deeptrouble.html

[SoCalDem]

17. I bet the sea creatures are none too happy about it .

Humans are amazing critters.. We manage to foul every environ we contact:(

[Bridget Burke]

19. Vibrio vulnificus has been around forever.

That's one reason we only eat raw oysters from the Gulf in "R months." Although September 1st is too early--wait until the water gets cool.

Exposure to the organism, through food or a cut, can kill people with existing health problems. But it can make anyone sick. (What a way to find out you've got a health problem!)

There's pollution in the Gulf, but this is an older problem.