A fisherman on the Texas coast died unexpectedly in June from a flesh-eating bacteria he contracted while wading in the Gulf. The man’s tragic death could have been prevented, according to his daughter, who is now working with state health officials to warn the public about the bacteria and how to prevent infection.
“It’s real,” Brandy Pendergraft said KHOU-11referring to the flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio. “It’s going to get you. It’s going to get everyone.”
Pendergraft said her father, 66-year-old Randy Bunch, had gone crabbing and fishing in Freeport in early June. As he had done many times before, the local fisherman waded into one of his crab traps that night. Only this time, Bunch was wearing flip-flops instead of the regular wading boots he normally wore. Pendergraft said he also had a small scrape on his foot that he had forgotten about.
“It was a tiny, tiny cut on the top of his foot,” Pendergraft told the news outlet. “I mean, not even an inch, it was tiny.”
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She said she received a call later that evening from Bunch, complaining of severe pain on the right side of his body. The two went to the emergency room, where doctors were unable to diagnose Bunch and sent him home. By the next morning, however, Bunch had a fever of 104 degrees and was listless and disoriented, Pendergraft explained.
About 12 hours later, Bunch was on a ventilator at the Texas Medical Center when Pendergraft pointed out the abrasion on his foot. Doctors then confirmed he had vibriosis, but Pendergraft said it was too late to stop the infection at that point.
“The blisters took over his whole body,” she explained. “It spread. Just like a fire.”
According to Bunch, he died less than a week after wading into the Gulf. KHOU-11His tragic story has since been revived, as a larger vibriosis outbreak is drawing attention to Texas health officials. In early August, the Galveston County Health District issued a warning about the disease.
“Recent surveillance has identified an increase in Vibrio-related cases on Galveston Beach,” the GCHD warned in a press release. “Recent reports of Vibrio infections have raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with exposure to these bacteria, particularly in the summer when water activities peak.”
Vibrio infections in humans are caused by a few types of naturally occurring bacteria that are present year-round in the Gulf of Mexico, but are more common in the summer when waters warm, GCHD says. One form of the bacteria can be found in raw or undercooked shellfish, and many cases of vibriosis involve people who have become ill after eating raw oysters.
Another form of Vibrio bacteria can cause wound infections. And while GCHD says that “it is rare for someone to develop a serious infection from Vibrio bacteria,” the chance of such an infection is higher if that person has “a pre-existing immunosuppressive health condition and open wounds or sores.” Bunch is said to have had a blood disorder, according to KHOU-11.
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GHCD also informed the local news outlet that it has confirmed 11 cases of vibriosis in Galveston County so far this summer. This number does not include Bunch’s fatal case, as Freeport is in neighboring Brazoria County. It is a notable increase from last year; the Chr. reports that GHCD had confirmed only two cases of vibriosis as of early August 2023.
To minimize the risk of infection, the local health district recommends avoiding raw seafood, practicing good hygiene and staying informed about the prevalence of Vibrio in certain coastal areas. People with open wounds should also avoid seawater or at least cover their wounds, says the GHCD, which adds that “early diagnosis and treatment are critical to managing symptoms and preventing complications.”