Gloomy news for oyster growers: Scientists say they now have compelling evidence that climate change and warming sea surface temperatures are strongly associated with the presence and spread of vibrio bacteria.
Published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study looked at plankton samples taken over a 53-year period and tested those samples for vibrio. Researchers found that as water temperatures warmed, vibrio abundance increased, and that those changes correlated to data showing an increase in human illness outbreaks.
Certain strains of vibrio, including Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP) and Vibrio vulnificus can be fatal to humans who eat contaminated shellfish. Its growing presence is a concern for shellfish growers across the nation – even in northern regions like New England or Alaska where vibrio was once rarely found. But where increases in sea temperatures have been recorded, such as the Gulf of Maine, the bacteria’s presence has seemingly become more common…
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