Vibrio vulnificus is also deadly, and was recently pinpointed as the cause for a number of deaths in Florida a year ago.
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Vibrio bacteria cause infections in humans and animals, and a growing number of people are hospitalized each year after consuming fish contaminated by the pathogen, the study notes, observing that the rapid rise in vibrio levels on the USA and European Atlantic coasts corresponds with the increasing number of hospitalizations for vibrio infections on both continents. The prevalence of these bacteria has increased as the ocean has warmed, both as result of global warming and multi-decadal variations in ocean circulation.
Colwell said the next step is to develop methods to anticipate and rapidly diagnose Vibriooutbreaks, using satellite data to track plankton populations in the ocean and deploying genome sequencing techniques to identify the bacterial culprits.
Climate change has played a significant factor in this rise in temperature, say scientists.
Of the numerous Vibrio species that are less common stateside, perhaps one of the most worrisome is Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of Cholera.
Warmth-loving marine bacteria is growing in abundance and posing an increased risk to human health as waters heat up, according to a study published this week.
The situation is worse than expected because even people in Alaska reported vibriosis cases, although the bacteria live only in warm waters. Molecular analysis of these DNA samples was then conducted to find and identify types and amounts of Vibrio bacteria present. Half the people who get a Vibrio vulnificus infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill, others survive only after having limbs amputated. The primary reason for this spike is climate change-fueled temperature increases in parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the researchers concluded.
The researchers analyzed 133 samples collected during the past half-century at nine locations: northern North Sea, southern North Sea, western English Channel, Iberian coast, Iceland coast, Irish Sea, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the North Atlantic. The presense of Vibrio bacteria was measured in each of the samples. [Photo by UniversalImagesGroup/Getty Images]”Climatic conditions are playing an increasingly important role in the transmission of [Vibrio] diseases”, the research stated.
A new study clearly connects rising temperatures to increases in waterborne food-poisonings and other infections.
A joint report from 17 European marine institutes said in 2011 that the proliferation of Vibrio bacteria could cost countries in Europe “millions of euros” in health care in the coming years. Increased awareness is also key. After the number of these confirmed infections rose an average of 390 per year in the late ’90s, recently that number has skyrocketed to an average of 1,030 more infections annually.
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“It’s a remarkable increase on an annual basis”, said study lead author Rita Colwell of the University of Maryland, a top microbiologist who used to head the National Science Foundation. These include avoiding raw and undercooked shellfish.
