What’s to fear about warming oceans? Flesh-eating bacteria

Potentially deadly infections from a type of flesh-eating bacterium could significantly increase in the decades ahead as climate change causes oceans to warm and helps the organisms spread into new coastal areas.

A study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports found that infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus along the eastern coast of the U.S. could double in the next 20 years, particularly as warmer sea surface temperatures enable the flesh-eating bacterium to thrive in waters farther north than ever before.

While V. vulnificus infections are still rare, the findings provide further evidence of how human health and the health of the planet are inextricably linked. The study also adds to a growing body of research on the public health risks that are associated with changes to ecosystems and the environment.

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