On Mar. 23, 2023, a study published in Scientific Reports warned that vibrio vulnificus is an increasingly recognized human pathogen with a low incidence but a high wound infection fatality rate of ~ 18%. Some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies. Some media reports call this kind of infection ﾓflesh-eating bacteria,ﾔ even though necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than one type of bacteria.

The study projections indicate that climate change will have a major effect on V. vulnificus infection distribution and number in Eastern USA, likely due to warming coastal waters favouring presence of bacteria and elevated temperatures leading to more coastal recreation.