Bradenton man contracts flesh-eating bacteria while fishing, loses leg, family says

A 66-year-old Bradenton man required hospitalization and a leg amputation after he contracted a bacterial infection while wade fishing, a family member told the Bradenton Herald.

The Bradenton man has been diagnosed with an infection of Vibrio vulnificus, according to his brother. Vibrio is sometimes referred to as “flesh-eating bacteria” because infections can destroy skin and muscle tissue.

As of Monday, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) listed one new local case of Vibrio infection on its website — the first reported case in Manatee County this year.

The bacteria occurs in warm, brackish seawater, according to the FDOH. Infections are rare but extremely serious, requiring immediate medical attention to avoid death. The bacteria can enter the body through open wounds and lead to sepsis, shock and a host of severe flu-like symptoms, according to health officials.

“About 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say.

In 2024, Florida has so far had 81 confirmed infections of Vibrio, the highest number of cases in 10 years. Those include 15 cases in nearby Pinellas County, three of which were fatal. Sarasota County has reported two cases. Health officials attribute the spike to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The spread of contaminated floodwaters after hurricanes allows the bacteria to thrive, according to health officials, and residents are also more likely to wade in contaminated water after storms.

But the effect is short-lived. State health officials told the Bradenton Herald that Manatee County’s first case is likely unrelated to the storms.

Bradenton man contracts flesh-eating bacteria, family says

The Bradenton man’s brother asked to keep the family’s name private but said he wants people to be aware of the dangers of Vibrio.

He said his brother went wade fishing twice along the north shore of Sarasota Bay in the days before he got ill.

When the Bradenton man went fishing on Nov. 3, the footwear he was wearing rubbed against the back of his leg and broke the skin, his brother said. His brother put ointment on the wound and went fishing again with higher socks on Nov. 5.

The Bradenton man’s brother said he seemed fine until the night of Nov. 8, when his condition began to deteriorate rapidly.

Family members found him unconscious in bed with clear signs of infection.

“His leg was very much showing the reaction between his ankle and below his knee,” his brother said. “His left leg had changed color and the skin was oozing.”

At the hospital, doctors tried removing the skin from the infected area, and then had to remove some muscle, his brother said. But that wasn’t enough to stop the infection. He ultimately underwent surgery to have his left leg removed just above the knee.

“Since then he’s been trending in a positive direction,” his brother said.

“I would take extreme caution and consider not going in at all, or wear waders so none of your body is exposed to the water or the seafloor. That’s a precautionary way to do it,” the man’s brother said. “And if you have any open wounds on you, you definitely don’t want to be messing with this.”

Florida health officials: How to avoid and recognize Vibrio

State health officials say that Vibrio infections are a rare but constant danger that comes with living in Florida.

“Vibrio is something that we in Florida deal with year-round every single year. The same way we deal with sunshine and alligators and rattlesnakes and mosquitoes,” said FDOH communications director Jae Williams.

But Williams says “knowledge is power,” when it comes to Vibrio. Residents and visitors can take precautions to avoid Vibrio and recognize the signs of infection, Williams said.

Where is Vibrio found?

Williams said that moving waters, like the waves at Gulf beaches, typically do not present a threat of Vibrio infection.

“You’re not going to find Vibrio in the middle of the Gulf, Lake Okeechobee or a running river,” Williams said. “The environment that it thrives in is warm, shallow, stagnant, typically brackish water.”

Environments like bays and estuaries, which have more stagnant water and lower salinity levels, are more likely to contain the bacteria, according to the University of Florida.

Vibrio infections are more common in Florida after hurricanes when contaminated floodwaters cause concentrations of the bacteria to rise, according to the FDOH.

How do Vibrio infections occur?

Vibrio enters the body through open wounds. Even small cuts or scrapes can present an opening for the bacteria, according to health officials.

“It can be simple as you knicked your face or leg shaving that morning,” Williams said. “That’s more than enough for that Vibrio to take root.”

How can you avoid Vibrio infections?

The FDOH recommends avoiding exposure of open wounds to warm salt or brackish water. Wounds that are exposed should be cleaned with warm soapy water immediately after, Williams said.

The rapid onset of extreme flu-like symptoms after a wound is exposed to salt water is an indicator of Vibrio infection, Williams said.

“If you come down really quickly with some of the worst flu-like symptoms you’ve ever had, and you’ve waded in brackish water recently, go get medical attention immediately,” Williams said.

Williams said residents should also use common sense.

“Stay out of water that smells nasty and looks nasty,” Williams said.

If Vibrio is suspected, it is crucial to seek medical care immediately, according to health officials.

“The time from when someone is infected to when they’re dead is at or around 72 hours,” Williams said. “It’s a very aggressive bacteria. It doesn’t discriminate in who it kills,” Williams said. “If it goes untreated, you are going to die.”

But Williams said residents can take comfort in the fact that Vibrio infections remain very rare.

“Very rarely do you have a single county with more than two or three cases a year,” Williams said. “In a state with 23 million people, that’s really rare.”

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