You’ve seen the pictures of flesh-eating bacteria making the rounds on social media. You’ve probably also heard the stories saying, ‘Avoid coastal waters’. But local doctors explain what you need to know to be able to enjoy that visit to Texas beaches.
The gruesome pictures you’ve been seeing are from what doctors call a more extreme infection from a kind of bacteria found in the gulf. But before you cancel your trip, doctors say they don’t see too many cases of it.
“It’s called Vibrio vulnificus,” said Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious disease specialist at UT Health Science Center. Dr. Bowling says the bacteria is naturally found in warm salt water.
“So the gulf coast is a nice habitat for this bacteria,” said Bowling.