Vibrio Infections From Coastal Water and Seafood: Symptoms, Risks and CDC Prevention Steps

By Web Asset House Studio · October 29, 2026

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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of the CDC's Vibrio pages, checked October 29, 2026. This is general information, not medical advice. If you think you have an infection, contact a health care provider.

What Vibrio is

The CDC says Vibrio are bacteria that naturally live in coastal waters: salt water and brackish water (a mix of salt and fresh, often where rivers meet the ocean). They're found in higher numbers from May through October, when the water is warmer.

About a dozen kinds cause an illness called vibriosis. CDC estimates 80,000 cases a year in the United States, 52,000 of them from contaminated food.

How people get sick

Eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. This is the most common way.
An open wound (including a new cut, scrape, piercing or tattoo) touching coastal water, raw seafood or its juices.

Symptoms

Stomach infection: watery diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills.
Wound infection: fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, discharge.
Bloodstream infection: fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, blistering skin lesions.

The CDC warns that Vibrio vulnificus can cause severe, life-threatening infections. About 1 in 5 people with it die, sometimes within a day or two. Some infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, where flesh around a wound dies. The CDC notes media often call it "flesh-eating bacteria."

CDC prevention steps

Cook seafood:

Don't eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish.
Keep raw seafood and its juices away from other food, and wash your hands after handling raw shellfish.
For shellfish in the shell, the CDC says to boil until the shells open, then 3–5 more minutes, or steam 4–9 minutes more. Eat only ones that opened.
Cook fish to 145°F.

Protect wounds:

If you have a wound, stay out of salt and brackish water if you can, or cover it with a waterproof bandage.
Wash wounds well with soap and clean water after contact with coastal water or raw seafood.

These steps matter most for people at higher risk, especially those with liver disease. If you're at increased risk, the CDC also suggests wearing gloves when handling raw seafood.