Massachusetts Health Officials Issue Warning on ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Aug. 13 warned that ‘an extremely rare case’ of Vibrio vulnificus had been reported.

People swim in the water at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, Mass., on July 21, 2024. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Health officials in Massachusetts have warned about a potentially deadly type of flesh-eating bacteria in the state’s coastal waters after a person was infected.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Aug. 13 said “an extremely rare case” of Vibrio vulnificus had been reported in the state, noting that the individual who was infected was likely exposed to the bacteria while at the beach in Buzzards Bay, near Cape Cod.

“Vibrio bacteria normally live in warm, salt, or brackish waters along the Atlantic coast,” Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said in a statement released on the health department’s website. Brackish water usually occurs when freshwater, such as that from a river, meets with ocean water.

“Heat waves and above-average water surface temperatures create favorable conditions for Vibrio bacteria to grow, making May through October generally the peak season for these bacteria,” Goldstein said. “People with open wounds who spend time in the water, or those who consume contaminated shellfish, can develop an infection when the bacteria enter the body. Sometimes these infections can spread through the bloodstream and cause severe, even life-threatening illness.”

Health officials in Massachusetts did not provide an update on the condition of the person who contracted the illness. The health agency did not say when the person contracted it or the specific beach along Buzzards Bay that the person had visited.

The Department of Health noted that in recent years, there have been seven confirmed cases of Vibrio vulnificus in Massachusetts.

While several different Vibrio species can cause illness, Vibrio vulnificus is considered to cause the most severe infections and can lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a type of “flesh-eating” condition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated on its website.

It noted that between 2015 and 2024, there were an average of 88 Vibrio infections, which include species other than Vibrio vulnificus, in Massachusetts. Most of the infections were the result of consuming shellfish that were contaminated with the bacteria. There have been no confirmed Vibrio-related deaths in the state.

In 2025, Florida’s Department of Health has confirmed 17 cases and five deaths. So far, Louisiana’s Department of Health, as of July 30, had reported 17 hospitalizations from Vibrio vulnificus, with four resulting in deaths, according to an update on the agency’s website.

Individuals with certain medical conditions—such as people with liver diseases, chronic kidney failure, diabetes, and conditions that weaken the immune system—are more likely to develop a Vibrio vulnificus infection if they are exposed to the organism, health officials said.

Individuals whose jobs place them in contact with raw shellfish or the water in which they live are also more likely to be exposed to the bacteria, according to the clinic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that people with HIV, cancer, or thalassemia are also more susceptible to contracting the illness. Those receiving immune-suppressing therapy for a disease, those taking medicine to decrease stomach acid levels, and those who have had a recent stomach surgery are also susceptible, it stated.

Symptoms of a Vibrio wound infection can include fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, or discharge. Signs of a bloodstream infection can include chills, fever, low blood pressure, and blistering lesions on the skin, according to the Louisiana Health Department.

People who contract Vibrio vulnificus can become quickly and seriously ill, potentially requiring intensive care or the amputation of a limb. About one in five people who contract the disease die, as early as within a few days of becoming sick, according to officials.