June 2, 2023 – A 5,000-mile-long clump of seaweed heading toward Florida’s east coast accommodates “flesh-eating” bacteria, researchers at Florida Atlantic University said.
Vibrio bacteria are already known to cause life-threatening illnesses from eating seafood, in addition to illness and death from open wound infections. The research team's recent finding is that the bacteria may also attach themselves to plastic waste trapped within the clump of seaweed and spread to individuals who simply touch the waste.
This creates an ideal “pathogen storm,” say the FAU researchers.
“Plastic is a new element that has been introduced into the marine environment and has only been around for about 50 years,” said Dr. Tracy Mincer, one in all the study authors and assistant professor of biology at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, in a Press release from the FAU.
“Our laboratory work showed that these Vibrio are extremely aggressive and may detect and connect to plastic inside minutes. We also found that there are attachment aspects that microbes use to keep on with plastic, and it's the identical mechanism that pathogens use.”
Florida residents know the stench and ugliness of the algae clumps from personal experience, but the danger posed by the flesh-eating bacteria is a new development.
In an interview with the local television station CARRYMincer said the danger from Vibrio bacteria increases after the clump reaches the shore and dries.
“When you handle this seaweed, it's a very good idea to scrub your hands,” he said, “and should you handle it ceaselessly, wear gloves, and if you might have an open wound or anything, steer clear of it.”
He pointed out that antibiotics are effective against infection caused by seaweed because the Vibrio bacteria have not developed resistance.
The study was published in Water research.