Flesh-eating bacteria found in Gulf of Mexico kills one swimmer, infects three others

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There is concern on the Louisiana Gulf Coast after officials say four swimmers contracted flesh-eating bacteria, and one of them died.

The victims were supposedly swimming in seawater near the areas of New Orleans and Thibodaux, Louisiana. But doctors say the flesh-eating bacteria has been detected in gulf waters in several states, including Texas.

The bacteria, known as Vibrio vulnificus, sickens people in two ways — by eating raw shellfish and by entering through an open wound.