Killer bacteria leaves woman dead after beach trip in Germany
9 August, 2019
Lethal microbes in the Baltic Sea have killed a woman in Germany in the first fatality of its kind this year, as soaring summer temperatures create the perfect conditions for the dangerous pathogen to rapidly multiply.
Europe is roasting under a heatwave, driving many to seek refuge in the sea, but for one elderly beachgoer from the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a cool summer swim ended in tragedy.
The woman contracted a strain of the deadly Vibrio bacteria, according to the state’s Office for Health and Social Welfare. There are several varieties of the pathogen, with some belonging to the so-called ‘flesh eating’ bacteria. Other strains can cause Cholera, a severe intestinal illness.
The Vibrio bacteria can enter the human body through various ways including open wounds, which may lead to major infection and sepsis. It is particularly dangerous for those with a compromised immune system or chronic liver disease.
The elderly woman fatally sickened by the microbe was thought to suffer from immune deficiencies, according to German media.
Currently, the environment along Germany’s Baltic coastline is close to ideal for the organism, which thrives in warm, brackish water.
“Vibrio bacteria multiply especially at a salt content of 0.5 percent and above a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius [68 degrees Fahrenheit],” said Martina Littmann, head of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s health department.
https://on.rt.com/9zn2佛羅裡達州
海灘戲水染食肉菌 66歲男兩天後死亡
@ 2019-07-15
（華盛頓14日綜合電）美國一名男子在佛羅裡達州游泳時感染食肉菌，不足48小時後死亡。
66歲的貝內特趁獨立日長周末，偕妻由田納西州孟菲斯到佛羅裡達州尼斯維爾探望女兒謝裡爾，7月5日3人到墨西哥灣沿海城市德斯廷的海灘玩水上活動。
貝內特在佛州海灘戲水後感染食肉菌，背部出現紅黑斑點（右圖），48小時後死亡。左圖為貝內特和女兒謝裡爾合照。
到翌晨4時，貝內特夢醒，感到發冷發熱，腿部抽筋，與妻返回孟菲斯看醫生。醫生發現貝內特背部出現又紅又黑的一個斑點，謝裡爾叫媽媽告訴醫生，貝內特曾在佛州落水，可能感染壞死性筋膜炎（又稱食肉菌感染），但醫生沒有理會，斷定他感染金黃葡萄球菌，給他注射抗生素。
不過，貝內特背部的紅黑斑變大一倍，還出現另一個黑斑，手臂亦出斑，身體亦感痛楚。7月7日凌晨他出現敗血症，心髒兩度停頓，最終因為器官嚴重受損及血酸過高而死亡。
化驗結果證實貝內特感染創傷弧菌。創傷弧菌是一種棲息於海洋中的細菌，如果傷口暴露在含有這種細菌的海水中，創傷弧菌會在傷口上繁殖，可能引發潰爛，甚至導致組織壞死。若食用了遭污染的海鮮，也有罹患腸胃炎的可能。
創傷弧菌在墨西哥灣大量滋生，而水溫高更有利那種惡菌生長。
文、圖：美國《紐約郵報》
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