‘Pathogen storm’ of flesh-eating bacteria invading Florida beaches

Maybe New York isn’t so bad after all.

Beaches in sunny South Florida are experiencing “the perfect ‘pathogen’ storm” of flesh-eating bacteria that are washing up to shore, according to new research from Florida Atlantic University.

It’s happening due to a brown and smelly algae known as sargassum, which is intertwining with plastic marine debris and a bacteria called Vibrio. FAU describes the latter as “the dominant cause of death in humans from the marine environment.”

“Our lab work showed that these Vibrio are extremely aggressive and can seek out and stick to plastic within minutes. We also found that there are attachment factors that microbes use to stick to plastics, and it is the same kind of mechanism that pathogens use,” said lead author Tracy Mincer.

“I don’t think at this point, anyone has really considered these microbes and their capability to cause infections.”

Since 2011 worry over sargassum has increased and FAU warns that there are now “unprecedented seaweed accumulation events on beaches.” Now, the research notes the plausibility of the algae, plastic and bacteria creating “an up to now undescribed group of microbes, some representing potential new species,” per the data.

Cases of Vibrio infections — worst when foodborne and when contracted into an open wound — already saw a rise in the area in wake of Hurricane Ian. It was particularly severe in the southwest’s Lee County, where eight of the 28 infected individuals had died.

“Another interesting thing we discovered is a set of genes called ‘zot’ genes, which causes leaky gut syndrome,” Mincer said.

“For instance, if a fish eats a piece of plastic and gets infected by this Vibrio, which then results in a leaky gut and diarrhea, it’s going to release waste nutrients such [as] nitrogen and phosphate that could stimulate sargassum growth and other surrounding organisms.”

As the phenomenon continues to be investigated, the biology professor advises the public to proceed with caution at beaches and on waterfronts.

“We really want to make the public aware of these associated risks,” Mincer added. “In particular, caution should be exercised regarding the harvest and processing of Sargassum biomass until the risks are explored more thoroughly.”