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#2岁幼童感染创伤弧菌面临截肢#话题登上热搜, arouse people's attention
A 2-year-old boy and his grandmother in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, were admitted to the ICU after being infected with Vibrio vulnificus when they came into contact with fish when they went to the vegetable market, and doctors said the boy's right foot could be amputated
What is Vibrio vulnificus?
Vibrio vulnificus belongs to the Vibrio family, which is a gram-negative bacterium and is the most lethal pathogenic Vibrio bacteria.
Vibrio vulnificus under the microscope. (Source: Peking Union Medical College Hospital)
It is widely distributed in the world's rivers and seas junction waters, inshore, bays and seabed sediments with high water temperatures, and often parasitizes shellfish and other marine organisms, such as fish, shrimp, oysters, mussels, etc.
❗❗ Route of infection
Infection through skin wounds, through the consumption of seafood containing marine bacteria.
❗❗ Susceptible population
What are the symptoms after infection?
Vibrio vulnificus is more virulent, with an average incubation period of 24 hours. About 50% to 70% of patients will develop local skin swelling and significant pain within a day or two, and the skin around the wound or at the end of the infected limb will be black-purple with blisters.
Infected patients often have symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and low blood pressure. The disease progresses rapidly, and if not seen in time, severe cases can progress to muscle necrosis and sepsis, and even have the risk of amputation and multi-organ failure.
How can I avoid Vibrio vulnificus infection?
❗ Eat less raw and cold seafood, and try to cook aquatic products before eating.
❗ Avoid injuries in seawater or exposing existing skin wounds to seawater.
❗ It's a good idea to wear gloves when washing seafood. Once you are stabbed by crab legs, shrimp bones, etc., rinse the wound with water in time and disinfect it with alcohol.
❗ Avoid exposing open wounds or broken skin to warm, salty waters, or areas where shellfish are abundant.
What to do if you get infected?
If you have symptoms such as skin pain, itching, swelling, diarrhea and fever, you should seek medical attention immediately and inform your doctor of your recent exposure to seawater or seafood, so as not to delay treatment.
Vibrio vulnificus is halophilic, so don't use saline or sprinkle salt on the wound to avoid aggravating the infection.
Keep an eye out for the beach
In addition to Vibrio vulnificus, marine pathogens such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Aeromonas spp. can also cause similar conditions.
If you go to the beach to play and come into contact with seawater, eat seafood, be stabbed by seafood or sharp stones in the sea, and have symptoms such as skin redness, swelling, heat, pain, nausea and vomiting, you should seek medical attention in time.
Be careful when handling seafood such as shrimp, crabs, and shellfish
There have been deaths recently!
Someone lost a finger to a tilapia
In July 2023, a man in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, accidentally suffered a tilapia bone stab on his finger and did not seek medical attention until he felt unwell, more than 40 hours after his injury!
The doctor found that the man's middle finger was black, the joint position of the palm was swollen, and the whole hand was red and swollen. More dangerously, the man also developed septic shock.
In order to save the man's life, the doctor had to amputate the necrotic finger.
After examination, the doctor confirmed that the man was infected with Vibrio vulnificus.
Macau recently reported a death from Vibrio vulnificus
On 20 April 2024, the Macao Health Bureau received a report of 1 case of Vibrio vulnificus infection.
It is reported that the patient is a 62-year-old male who is a Macao resident with a history of alcoholic cirrhosis. On April 15, due to fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea for half a day, he went to the emergency department of Conde de São Januário General Hospital for medical treatment and was hospitalized for treatment, and there was no obvious wound in the physical examination, and on the 16th, his condition deteriorated, and he showed symptoms of shock, and then transferred to the intensive care unit for further treatment, blood culture showed Vibrio vulnificus, and his condition deteriorated and died on the 17th, and he was diagnosed with Vibrio vulnificus and septic shock.
The patient's family members who live with no similar symptoms had handled and consumed seafood at home before the onset of illness, and the family members said that they could not determine whether the seafood was fully cooked.
As the weather gets hotter and the holidays are approaching, we would like to remind everyone to be careful of "deadly" germs when handling seafood or visiting the beach
2024
China Women's Daily, China Women's Movement
Source/People's Daily Science Popularization, Liaoning Evening News, Time Video, Henan Disease Control, National Emergency Broadcasting, CCTV News, CCTV Network, etc. Editors/Tian Yuan Huang Die, Chen Xiaobing Review/Yifan Producer/Zhifei