Two people have died in Louisiana after contracting Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacterium linked to eating raw oysters, state health officials confirmed this week.
The Louisiana Department of Health said the victims, one a state resident and the other from out of state, became ill after consuming oysters contaminated with the bacteria, which is naturally found in warm coastal waters and peaks between May and October.
Officials reported that in addition to the oyster-related cases, two other people in Louisiana have died this year from the same infection. In total, the state has recorded 22 Vibrio vulnificus cases requiring hospitalization in 2025, with more than 80% stemming from open wound exposure to seawater.
“Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection can become seriously ill and need intensive care or limb amputation,” the health department warned. “About one in five people with this infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.”
The state noted that cases are rising, with this year’s figures exceeding the 10-year average of seven annual cases and one death. Health officials shared the latest data during a Louisiana Oyster Task Force meeting focused on illnesses linked to oyster consumption.
Florida has also reported high numbers this year, with 23 infections and five deaths, according to that state’s health department.
