Vibriosis
Vibriosis is primarily considered a gastro-intestinal disease that is acquired through ingestion of raw or under-cooked shellfish. However, if concentrations of Vibrio bacterial species, the causative agent of vibriosis, are present in coastal waters and transiently submerged coastal landscapes, therein an increased risk of exposure that can result in a cutaneous form of the disease sometimes referred to as “flesh-eating bacteria”. This form is acquired through breaks in the skin and presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment. In the US, outbreaks have been associated with storm surge and compound flooding that creates transient environments that permit inland expansion of the bacteria [1]. In Europe, outbreaks are observed along coastlines associated with increased rise in sea temperatures [2]. These observations are consistent with future projections that anticipate an increased disease burden for Vibrio infections worldwide and especially in the northern hemisphere at high latitudes [3]
We began archiving our daily Vibrio spp. proliferation forecasts for Southwest Florida and disseminating them on https://chl.crc.nd.edu/interactive-viewer called ShadowWatch. This is a visualization portal for NOAA’s development instance of its Operational Global Storm Surge and Tide Forecasting System, STOFS-2D-Global. Within this portal, users can select a forecast cycle of interest and view animated streams of Vibrio spp. conveying in coastal waters. These predictions are made using STOFS-2D-Global barotropic mode, its depth-integrated velocity fields, and Lagrangian particle tracking with known oyster bed locations as source points. This capability will be built out to expand beyond Southwest Florida.
- Brumfield et al. (2025) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 122(33):e2420423122. doi 10.1073/pnas.2420423122.
- Fernández-Juárez et al. (2024) mBio 15(10):e0156924. doi: 10.1128/mbio.01569-24.
- Trianes and Martinez-Urtaza (2021) Lancet Planet Health 5(7):e426-e435. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00169-8.
