Vibrio Infections on the Gulf Coast: Results of First Year of Regional Surveillance

Abstract

In 1989, the first year of coordinated Vibrio surveillance in four Gulf Coast states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas), 121 infections were reported. These included 34 V. parahaemolyticus, 30 V. cholerae non-O1, 18 V. vulnificus, 9 V. hollisae, 7 V. alginolyticus, and 7 V. fluvialis. Fourteen patients had primary septicemia, 71 had gastroenteritis, and 29 had wound infections; 7 had other or unknown illnesses. Sixty-six patients were hospitalized, and 9 died. All patients with primary septicemia, but only 17% of those with gastroenteritis, were known to have an underlying illness (P < .001). Among patients for whom data were available, 67% with primary septicemia and 74% with gastroenteritis ate raw oysters in the week before illness began. Of 50 patients with data on where oysters were obtained, 42 (84%) ate them at oyster bars or restaurants. These data provide evidence that in the Gulf Coast region raw oyster consumption is an important cause of Vibrio-associated gastroenteritis among adults without underlying illnesses.