AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
North Carolina recorded more than 100 cases of Vibrio bacteria in 2025, including 13 cases of a species that can cause flesh-eating infections. The bacteria thrives in warm coastal waters and can be contracted through open wounds or by eating raw shellfish.
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Elsewhere in the South, Louisiana has seen nine Vibrio vulnificus infections and five deaths in 2026, while Florida has recorded two deaths from the bacteria this year, state health departments shared in Aug. 6 updates.
There have been 40 reported cases of Vibrio in North Carolina in the first quarter of 2026, but none were vulnificus, according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
FULL STORY: A deadly, flesh-eating bacteria is spreading along the NC coast. What to know
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The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
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This story was originally published August 11, 2026 at 4:55 PM with the headline “Flesh-eating bacteria found along the NC coast linked to 7 deaths in the South.”
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