According to a report in El Pais (machine translated), two men, aged 84 years and 90 years respectively, died in Punta del Estate from Vibrio vulnificus infection. Punta del Estate is a city in South West Uruguay.
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| Image Credits: USM |
V. vulnificus is a halophilic, gram negative, lactose fermenting, opportunistic agent which is found in estuaries and other similar areas and is associated with marine life forms. It usually enters the blood stream through cuts and breaks in the skin and may cause a rapidly fatal septicemia in susceptible patients. If food or water contaminated by this agent is consumed it may cause gastroenteritis that may result in dysentery.
Patients who suffer from a septicemia associated with the entry of this agent through skin breaches suffer from very high mortality rates (to the tune of 50%), and patients are characterized by typical bullous skin lesions.
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| Image Credits: JBJS |
Subsequently, this disease went on to affect three more people who recovered from it.
Scepticemia 