Comma are carnivorous bacteria found in tropical waters, but for several years they have also appeared more and more often in the B altic Sea. All because of global warming. People resting by the sea should be especially careful, because contact with commas may result in severe food poisoning, limb amputation, and even death. Check where else commas are and how you can get infected.
CommastrainVibrio vulnificusarecarnivorous bacteria, which are normally found in tropical waters. However, for several years, more and more oftenin the B altic Sea , which is commonly considered a cool sea. All because of a warming climate, which makes the water in the B altic Sea much warmer than usual on hot days.
In the summer season of 2022 - until the beginning of August - 5 cases of infection with these bacteria were registered in Germany. One of them turned out to be fatal - an elderly woman died after a bath in the B altic Sea in the German state of Maklemburg-Vorpommern. The total number of B altic infections in the previous years did not exceed several dozen people. How will it be this year? It depends on the weather.
As early as 2012, an international team of researchers in "Nature Climate Change" argued that the Polish sea is the fastest-warming marine ecosystem in the world. In the years 1982-2010 the water temperature in the B altic Sea increased by 0.063-0.078 degrees Celsius per year (on the age scale it gives 6.3-7.8 degrees Celsius) and in the summer period it has long exceeded 20 degrees Celsius.
And the comma of theVibrio vulnificusstrain reproduce intensively just when the water temperature exceeds 20 degrees Celsius. Moreover, they spread faster the warmer the water - for each 1 degree increase in temperature, the number of infections increases by almost 200 percent. The development of these carnivorous batteries in the B altic Sea is also influenced by the lower and lower salinity of the waters. The reason for this is frequent rains, which are also caused by global warming.
Commas - how do you get infected?
Infection with comma strainVibrio vulnificusoccurs most often when a person with injured skin bathes inwater colonized with bacteria or relaxing on the beach. Therefore, you should not enter the sea if there are scratches or cuts on the body with which the bacteria can enter the body. It is worth knowing that people living approx. 50 km from the B altic coast are most exposed to contact with commas.
You can get infected with commas not only by bathing or practicing water sports, but also by eating contaminated fish and seafood. The presence of these bacteria was found, inter alia, in in shrimps and oysters.
Comma - symptoms of infection
Comma can lead to food poisoning, as well as inflammation of the stomach and intestinal inflammation. These diseases can cause various ailments on the part of the digestive system - most often
- stomach pains
- nausea
- vomiting
- fever
Streptococci can also cause cellulitis. Then the following appear:
- strong purple reddening of the skin
- pain
- baking
The accompanying symptoms are headache, nausea and fever. StrainVibrio vulnificusis also responsible for necrotizing fasciitis, an acute infection of the subcutaneous tissue that often results in amputation.
ImportantCommas can kill you!
Strain commasVibrio vulnificusare especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, incl. children, the elderly, as well as those struggling with chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes) or struggling with the common cold. However, observations show that people with chronic liver failure are most at risk of becoming infected.
In these people, commas can lead to life-threatening infections such as sepsis, a systemic inflammatory reaction syndrome.
Mortality in the case of infectionVibrio vulnificusis approximately 25%. If sepsis develops, the mortality rate rises to 50%. Most patients who develop sepsis usually die within 48 hours of infection.
Commas - treatment
The optimal treatment for a comma infection has not been established. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that patients be given, among others quinolone antibiotics.
This will be useful to youThe comma can also make you cholera
The comma strainVibrio vulnificuscomes from the same family as the bacteria that causes cholera -cholera comma ( Vibrio cholerae ). This bacterium is spread mainly in countries with low hygiene and sanitary standards. Its main medium is water.