The culprit, Vibrio vulnificus, thrives in warm seawater and can get into the body through open wounds in the skin.

Richard Woulfe's quick swim at Blacks Beach led to emergency surgery after bacteria from a stingray sting caused a dangerous ...

In Florida, four people have died this year after they were exposed to Vibrio vulnificus, a rare but deadly bacteria found in ...

Four people in Florida have died and seven others have been sickened this year by a rare but potentially deadly bacterial ...

Four people have died and 7 others have been sickened amid a rise in cases of Vibrio vulnificus, flesh-eating bacteria that ...

Eleven people in Florida have been infected with Vibrio vulnificus, the so-called "fleshing-eating" bacteria, including 2 in ...

Necrotizing fasciitis is a skin infection caused by rare bacteria that enters the body through a break in the skin. From this opening, the bacteria aggressively attacks muscles and other organs ...

Four people in Florida have died this year after contracting Vibrio vulnificus. Though rare, infections can also require intensive care or limb amputation ...

Often, necrotizing fasciitis occurs in a person with a pre-existing health problem—such as diabetes or lupus—that has left his or her immune system compromised, and thus less able to stave off ...

Though necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than just one type of bacteria, the most common cause is group A Streptococcus (Group A Strep), per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Group A strep bacteria. This is the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis. ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS. Only around 0.4 people per 100,000 are infected to the point of necrotizing fasciitis ...

How can you protect yourself from flesh-eating bacteria in Florida’s coastal waters? In Florida, a rare but deadly bacteria ...