Definition of Vibrio vulnificus

Vibrio vulnificus: a type of bacteria that belong to the same family as the bacteria that cause cholera. Vibrio vulnificus is found in warm salt water and causes infections in people who eat contaminated seafood or swim with an open sore or wound in water where V. vulnificus is present. In people with an intact immune system, the infection can cause nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. The infection can be much more serious in those whose immune function is compromised. In these persons, the bacteria can infect the bloodstream, leading to septic shock, fever and chills, and skin lesions. When the bacteria infect the bloodstream, the infection is fatal in about half of cases. Most cases in the US are reported from states along the Gulf coast. The infection is treated with antibiotics.