Man Infected By Flesh-Eating Bug at Beach Suffers Organ Failure, Blood Infection

By Rose Ybarra, The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas

Jul. 19–Jefferson County health officials said a Nacogdoches man’s battle with a flesh-eating bacteria serves as a reminder that the harmful bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus, always is present in the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters, meaning beachgoers need to exercise caution.

Via the Nacogdoches man’s illness, Vibrio vulnificus has reared its ugly head at a popular coastal spot for Golden Triangle residents. Steve Gilpatrick, 58, contracted the tissue-destroying disease called necrotizing fasciitis after swimming at Crystal Beach on July 8.

He is listed in critical condition at a Galveston hospital with a laundry list of Vibrio vulnificus-related complications, including multiple organ failure and a blood infection, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that thrives in warm salt water. It affects those who swim in seawater with an open wound and people who eat raw shellfish, notably oysters. Vibrio vulnificus can cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. In the most extreme cases, it can cause organ failure and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vibro vulnificus is most common along the Gulf Coast but the cases are rare. None have been reported to Jefferson County health officials this year, but there were two reported cases in 2006, said Sherry Ulmer, Beaumont Health Department clinical nurse manager. In both cases, the victims recovered.

Ulmer said open wounds or sores and even simple nicks or open pores from shaving can be entryways for Vibrio vulnificus.

“If the skin is broken, don’t go into saltwater,” Ulmer said. “And people with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk.”

Gilpatrick is diabetic and had an ulcer on his leg during his vacation to Crystal Beach.

Kurt Koopman of the Galveston County Health District said Gilpatrick’s is the only case he knows of this year with ties to Crystal Beach. No other cases have been reported to Galveston County health officials this year, but two cases were reported last year.

Koopman noted that Texas Gulf Coast beaches are frequented by tourists and the symptoms and diagnoses of Vibrio vulnificus often arise after the victim returns to his or her home county.

“The statewide statistics paint a clearer picture,” Koopman said.

There were 54 reported cases of Vibrio vulnificus in Texas in 2006, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The greatest risk comes from eating raw shellfish, Ulmer said, accounting for about 70 percent of the cases in 2006.

Ulmer said vomiting, diarrhea and fever after consuming raw shellfish are signs Vibrio vulnificus might be present. Water contact symptoms include fever and redness at the wound site.

“If the wound does not seem to be getting better, it’s best to visit their family doctor,” she said. “The sooner it’s diagnosed, the higher the chances of recovery.”

rybarra@beaumontenterprise.com

(409) 880-0735

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