--- title: Florida: Rare Bacteria Potentially Fatal for Beachgoers description: Florida Warns Beachgoers About Rare, Potentially Fatal Bacteria in Seawater canonical: https://time.com/3920367/florida-beach-bacteria/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-13T19:10:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:55.440Z article:section: Health og:title: Florida Warns Beachgoers About Rare, Potentially Fatal Bacteria og:description: It is not, however, a "flesh-eating bacteria" og:url: https://time.com/3920367/florida-beach-bacteria/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Florida Warns Beachgoers About Rare, Potentially Fatal Bacteria twitter:description: It is not, however, a "flesh-eating bacteria" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Florida Warns Beachgoers About Rare, Potentially Fatal Bacteria in Seawater ## Video: Are Used Plastic Bottles Safe for Drinking Water? [Watch (HLS stream): Are Used Plastic Bottles Safe for Drinking Water?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lCLA9ha6.m3u8) (1:43)  _Published 2015-05-15. Are reused plastic bottles hazardous to your health? Our Healthy Skeptic separates truth from rumors._  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Jun 13, 2015 7:10 PM UTC  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Jun 13, 2015 7:10 PM UTC A rare bacteria that’s found in seawater has [infected seven and killed two people ](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-beachgoers-warned-about-deadly-flesh-eating-bacteria/)this year in Florida, state health officials warned. _Vibrio vulnificus_ can spread through direct contact between seawater and open wounds as well through eating raw shellfish, Florida Health Department spokesperson Mara Burger said in a statement, CBS News reports. If the bacterium is ingested, symptoms included abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. If it enters through the skin, it can cause infections and skin ulcers—though calling it a “flesh-eating bacteria,” as many say, [is a misnomer](http://patch.com/florida/clearwater/floridas-flesh-eating-bacteria-myths-busted). Symptoms are typically mild for healthy people, and most cases are treatable with antibiotics, but the bacteria poses a greater risk for those with compromised immune systems and can be fatal. Though there were only 32 cases last year, the Florida Health Department advises eating shellfish only if it’s thoroughly cooked as well as avoiding the water if you have cuts or other wounds on your skin. \[[_CBS_](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-beachgoers-warned-about-deadly-flesh-eating-bacteria/)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3920367/florida-beach-bacteria/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3920367/florida-beach-bacteria/"},"headline":"Florida Warns Beachgoers About Rare, Potentially Fatal Bacteria in Seawater","datePublished":"2015-06-13T19:10:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:58:55.440Z","description":"It is not, however, a \"flesh-eating bacteria\"","url":"https://time.com/3920367/florida-beach-bacteria/","keywords":["Public Health"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3920367/florida-beach-bacteria/","name":"Florida Warns Beachgoers About Rare, Potentially Fatal Bacteria in Seawater"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Are Used Plastic Bottles Safe for Drinking Water?","description":"Are reused plastic bottles hazardous to your health? 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