Aside from eating contaminated seafood, how can Vibrio vulnificus infection occur?

Aside from eating contaminated seafood, how can Vibrio vulnificus infection occur?

• A. Inhalation of aerosolized water
• B. Through household pets
• C. Through contaminated soil in gardens
• D. V. vulnificus can infect wounds sustained in coastal or estuarine waters

Answer: (D)

Vibrio vulnificus lives in warm coastal waters, and it can invade the body through breaks in the skin when exposed to seawater or brackish water. If an open wound comes into contact with these waters, the bacteria can cause a rapid wound infection, cellulitis, or even tissue damage, especially in people with liver disease or compromised immunity. The other routes—breathing aerosolized water, contact with household pets, or exposure to soil—are not typical ways this bacterium causes infection. So, wounds sustained in coastal or estuarine waters are a known and important pathway for infection.

Vibrio vulnificus lives in warm coastal waters, and it can invade the body through breaks in the skin when exposed to seawater or brackish water. If an open wound comes into contact with these waters, the bacteria can cause a rapid wound infection, cellulitis, or even tissue damage, especially in people with liver disease or compromised immunity. The other routes—breathing aerosolized water, contact with household pets, or exposure to soil—are not typical ways this bacterium causes infection. So, wounds sustained in coastal or estuarine waters are a known and important pathway for infection.