Climate change threatens older, chubby men

COLUMBIA

Older and fat men who fish or swim on the coast this summer should know that a nasty microbe is hiding in the water, looking for out-of-shape guys capable of infecting with toxins potentially life threatening.

The microbe, known as vibrio, has developed more and more in brackish coastal waters over the last 20 years as the Earth's climate has changed, exposing swimmers and fishermen to its unpleasant effects.

Vibrio bacteria can enter open wounds and worsen rapidly, causing swelling and massive infections. They can also infiltrate wounds, enter the bloodstream and attack the liver, resulting in more serious illness of people with liver diseases, according to researchers at the University of South Carolina.

Those most at risk are people who are already sick or have developed minor liver disease that often results from poor eating habits – and no group seems more susceptible to liver problems than overweight men who follow a high-fat diet , according to scientists at the USC. Because of their metabolism and physiology, obese men over the age of 40 appear to be at greater risk of developing health problems due to exposure to vibrios than women and younger people, the report said. USC scientific researcher, Geoff Scott.

"This is what the data shows, that older men are the most susceptible to vibrio wounds infections," said Scott, who leads a national effort led by five universities to study the effects of climate change and oceans on human health.

Scott and Saurabh Chatterjee, who heads the USC Laboratory on Environmental Health and Diseases, said it was too early to draw definitive conclusions about the risk of vibrio in older men, as research continues to be conducted. # 39; USC.

According to a study conducted in 2018 by USC researchers, nearly 70% of vibrio-related diseases declare themselves nationwide. And the median age of people with vibrio is 48, according to statistics published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Healthy people who eat well and have no signs of liver disease or other ailments are less likely to get a vibrio infection if they go swimming with open cuts. But experts should know that the risk exists if they have an injury and that they plan to swim or fish on the coast.

Vibrio are more abundant in warm brackish tide rivers that attract people who like to fish, crab and shrimp. According to researchers at Florida Atlantic University, the bacteria can also exist in waves where people swim under certain conditions, such as after heavy rains. It's worth noting in a state with resorts like Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island, which attract millions of visitors each year.

"The beach season is about to start," said Scott, of USC. "We have to inform people of all this because we could save a life along the way. You never know. & # 39;

Anyone who develops an infection in a cutoff after exposure to salt water should immediately consult a doctor because the vibrio can spread quickly, according to experts. A strain of vibrion called vulnificus is so dangerous that it can kill people in a day or two, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sometimes, limbs need to be amputated to prevent a spread of the infection putting their lives at risk. To avoid risks, people should dress cuts safely if they expect to come into contact with seawater, experts say.

Meanwhile, overweight people should consider getting tested for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that can turn into a more dangerous liver disease when exposed to Vibrio bacteria. Scott said.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease often results from excessive diet and a high-fat diet, just as excessive consumption of alcohol causes liver damage, experts say. This is one of the reasons why overweight men have to be careful, they say.

Scott's research will try to predict when outbreaks of vibrant and toxic algae will occur, so people can avoid contact with water. Researchers are also trying to determine if the bacteria is becoming more toxic in South Carolina and other states, so they can warn the public.

Research shows that infections related to all types of vibrio bacteria increased by 41% between 1996 and 2005. Since 2005, the estimated number of vibrio infections in humans has gone from 8,000 to 80 000 at the national level, according to the USC and the Centers for Disease Control.

In two studies last year, scientists said that rising sea levels and rising water temperatures were contributing to the threat. With global warming and rising sea levels, saline waters are increasingly entering coastal rivers, including Waccamaw, west of Pawleys Island, creating the conditions for the expansion of some species of vibrios. Warmer temperatures and sea level rise also cause microbe growth over longer periods of the year in places never seen before. One expects him to live longer in the fall and winter in areas like South Carolina than in the past, they say.

A June 2018 study identified the Waccamaw River as a place where vibrios become a threat. The river, which extends from the North Carolina border to Georgetown, is expected to move from freshwater to brackish water at certain times of the year further upstream, resulting in an increase of nearly 300% of the exposure risks related to the Vibrio bacteria, published in the scientific journal "Estuaries and Côtes".

Scientists have known for generations that some forms of vibrios can make people sick when exposed to polluted water. Cholera is a form of vibrio, for example. Other strains of vibrios are also major causes of illness and death in people who consume raw or undercooked seafood, such as oysters. Studies show that 22 to 25 people die each year from Vibrio infections, mainly after eating raw seafood.

In recent years, however, researchers have learned more about the threats posed by vibrios to people with open cuts exposed to seawater. Exposure to Vibrio can sometimes darken people's arms and legs. – One person from North Carolina was amputated from one leg two years ago after the vibrio infected a cut – or damaged their liver. Last year, a Virginia resident and a New Jersey resident died from a vibrio infection, according to an article in the Washington Post.

The threat of vibrios for people with a high-fat diet and low liver failure is likely to be of particular concern in South Carolina, where researchers say many residents regularly eat cheap fatty foods. According to the latest report on the state of obesity, the Palmetto State displays the country's 10th highest adult obesity rate, an annual survey that examines national trends. At the same time, South Carolina ranks 12th nationally for liver disease death rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

USC's Chatterjee, who previously worked at Duke University, said liver disease may be an unknown problem, often until it's too late to do anything.

"It's a very quiet nature," he said. "Nobody will have any idea of ​​the transformation of the liver into cirrhosis."

Ongoing research at USC is part of a national effort to better understand how climate and changes in the ocean affect the health of the population. USC, Baylor University, the University of Maryland, the College of Charleston and The Citadel are participating in the project that started last year. Scott and Paul Sandifer, former director of the Department of Natural Resources of S.C., lead the effort. The research is funded by a $ 5.7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.