Coroner warns of 'amputation and death' from flesh-eating bacteria near Southeast Texas

Key Points:

• Severe Vibrio vulnificus infections, sometimes causing tissue destruction, amputations, and deaths, have been reported in Louisiana's Cameron and Calcasieu parishes near Southeast Texas.
• Texas Department of State Health Services data show four confirmed cases statewide in 2026 so far, including one in the Southeast Texas and Houston public health region; these numbers are provisional and expected to increase during summer and fall.
• Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium found in warm coastal and brackish waters, infecting people through open wounds exposed to water or by consuming raw or undercooked shellfish, with high risk for individuals with underlying health conditions.
• Symptoms include redness, severe pain, blistering, and fever, and rapid medical attention is critical; the CDC advises avoiding water exposure with open wounds, using waterproof bandages, and thoroughly cooking seafood to reduce infection risk.
• Texas beach advisories do not test for Vibrio vulnificus but rather for indicators of fecal contamination, so absence of advisories does not guarantee safety from this bacterium.