September 28th, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Will Bacterial Plague Follow Crude Oil Spill Along Gulf Coast?, New York Times (Greenwire), June 17, 2010:
Excerpts
Some bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico love eating oil as much as they like infecting humans. … One of the more pressing questions involves Vibrio… vulnificus… this year there is a likely possibility, scientists say, that Vibrio growth could be further spurred, directly or indirectly, in response to the oil and the organic flotsam it has left behind.
What is Vibrio vulnificus? Report: Houston man’s death linked to flesh-eating bacteria, 11 News KHOU (Houston), September 22, 2010:
Galveston, TX
DOH: Six Die from Deadly Saltwater Bacteria, WONO (Orlando), September 14, 2010:
The Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday that six deaths have occurred this year as a result of a deadly bacteria, at least two of them from raw oyster consumption. Known as Vibrio vulnificus, the bacteria infects the body in two ways, either by exposure to contaminated seafood or through an open wound exposed to contaminated seawater. DOH said that the other four deaths remain under investigation as to the source of the exposure. DOH is warning Floridians to avoid eating raw oysters and exposing open wounds to seawater and estuarine water.
The following experts were interviewed by the New York Times:
Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation and an expert in marine microbial life:
“The question is: Will there be an inadvertent enhancement of the growth of these potential human pathogens… It’s a question, and the answer is uncertain.”
Jay Grimes, marine microbiologist at the University of Southern Mississippi:
Balance of article at: http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/feds-funding-study-oil-spills-effect-flesh-eating-bacteria-blamed-multiple-recent-gulf-area-deaths-after-waterseafood-contact-videos
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