Climate change aiding dangerous pathogens

When it’s blisteringly hot outside, splashing in the ocean, a lake or even a swimming pool is a popular way to beat the heat. But as global temperatures rise, scientists say, so do your chances of catching a nasty — or even deadly — bug.

The scary one making headlines this summer is Vibrio vulnificus, also dubbed in media reports as “flesh-eating bacteria.” Historically, it has been found in warm salt water and brackish water, such as the Gulf of Mexico. So far this summer, one death has been linked to the disease and another man spent nearly two weeks in the hospital. Both were in Gulf Coast locations.

But Vibrio isn’t the only danger found in warming waters. Freshwater lakes and canals can have Naegleria fowleri, also known as the “brain eating amoeba.” And pools, particularly public ones, may contain the gut-upsetting parasite called Cryptosporidium.

The bacteria, amoeba and parasite have one thing in common: They’re thermophilic, which means they like it hot.

Climate change is creating a more inviting environment for them. Warm spots such as Florida are getting hotter for longer periods of time, and areas that were traditionally too cool for any of these pathogens to thrive also are warming. Higher concentrations of Vibrio, for instance, have started making appearances farther north in the Atlantic Ocean, most recently off North Carolina.

“Are we gonna see more cases? Absolutely,” said Andria Rusk, a research associate professor of public health at Florida International University. “You’re going to see Vibrio cases in the wintertime, and you’re going to see Vibrio cases in traditionally cooler places in Florida. You have increased the likelihood of exposure.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are about 205 Vibrio cases each year in the United States.

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that Vibrio is moving in higher amounts into new territories as global waters warm. The bacteria sickened five people in New Jersey and Delaware in 2017 and 2018, areas where it was previously rare to encounter.

In fresh water, the main concern is Naegleria fowleri, also known as the “brain-eating amoeba.” It’s harmless if swallowed; stomach acid dissolves it. But if the amoeba enters the nose, it can creep up the nasal passage and start living up to its name.

“It’s an apt name,” said Dennis Kyle, a cellular biology professor at the University of Georgia. “They literally do that.”

He calls it “98 percent deadly but 99 percent preventable.” A North Carolina man recently died after contracting the disease at a water park.

Amoeba infections are most common in the lower third of the country, including Texas.

But in the last decade, this rare infection has spread north, to Maryland, Indiana, Kansas and even Minnesota, which the CDC’s Dr. Jennifer Cope said was “600 miles further north than any previously confirmed case.”

A study showed that Vibrio vulnificus, also known as “flesh-eating bacteria,” is moving to new territories. It is found in warm salt water and brackish water.