(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) Greenlogue /AP

Coastal communities and seafood industries face mounting pressure as a body of research shows that pathogenic bacteria of the genus Vibrio-long confined largely to warmer waters-are advancing into higher-latitude regions, creating new public-health risks associated with shellfish consumption and marine recreation. A 2023 study found that Vibrio vulnificus infections in the eastern United States increased eightfold between 1988 and 2018 and that the northern edge of infection was shifting about 48 km each year as coastal waters warmed. Further research from the Netherlands projects that risks of Vibrio illness could rise by factors ranging from 1.6 to 7.6 by mid-century under higher-emission climate scenarios.

Public-health agencies are alerting governments and stakeholders to the implications of these findings for seafood safety, wound exposure, and infection control. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control issued a statement indicating that coastal conditions in parts of Europe are increasingly conducive to Vibrio growth, especially in brackish and low-salinity waters, and that surveillance and awareness need to be strengthened.

The driving mechanism is well mapped. Vibrio bacteria thrive in warm waters-typically above 15 °C, with optimum growth near 20-36 °C-and in low-salinity environments. A 2016 longitudinal analysis of North-Atlantic plankton samples linked rising sea-surface temperatures to a doubling, tripling or even quadrupling of Vibrio abundance over five decades. That study was among the first to quantify how marine warming is altering microbial ecosystems in ways that carry direct human-health consequences.

Shellfish, particularly filter-feeders like oysters and clams, serve as amplifiers for Vibrio species; they ingest the bacteria as they filter seawater and can deliver high loads to consumers. Wound exposure is another critical pathway: Vibrio vulnificus wound infections, with mortality rates of around 18 % in the United States, occur when the bacteria enter cuts or abrasions exposed to seawater.

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In the U. S. Gulf Coast and Atlantic seaboard, incidence and distribution maps show a clear northward spread of infections, and researchers estimate that by 2041-2060, areas around New York could become routinely affected under mid-emissions pathways. European data suggest that while the dominant species in cooler waters remain V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus, the conditions for more virulent species like V. vulnificus are increasingly met. A Dutch study found no trend in species-shift yet, but modelled risks for illness continued to rise markedly with temperature increases.

Sea-food producers and aquaculture industries are responding. In New England, oyster growers have invested heavily in post-harvest chilling, modified harvesting times and moved away from summer-season filtration protocols after outbreaks tied to Vibrio and the strain O4:K12. Meanwhile regulatory bodies are expanding surveillance frameworks. The European assessment of Vibrio food-borne transmission identifies increasing areas of concern across the seafood supply chain.

Nonetheless, significant scientific and policy gaps remain. Many Vibrio infections are likely under-reported due to limited diagnostic infrastructure, especially in non-tropical coastal zones. The drivers beyond temperature-such as salinity shifts, nutrient loads, algal blooms and shellfish-harvest patterns-remain incompletely understood. For example, while the Dutch study confirmed a strong temperature–concentration correlation, it noted that salinity and acidity data were too limited for robust modelling.

Public-health messaging is adapting. The ECDC emphasises heightened risk for individuals with chronic liver disease, immunocompromise or wounds when entering brackish or warm coastal waters, and advises against raw shellfish consumption in higher-risk zones.

The geographic scope of the threat is growing. Regions historically considered low-risk-such as the Baltic Sea or northern Atlantic coasts-are now flagged as emerging zones of Vibrio suitability. The environmental niche models show dramatic expansions of at-risk coastlines and populations if warming persists.

via Greenlogue

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