Beware: Toxic marine bacteria

This is Paul Janensch with a Treasure Coast Essay about toxic marine bacteria.  They are something to add to the list of hazards along our stretch of Florida, along with lightning, rip currents and sharks.  In July, a Port St. Lucie man died of an infection caused by toxic marine bacteria.  His skin had been punctured by a fish fin while he was fishing in the Indian River Lagoon.  In October 2014, a Fort Pierce man died of an infection caused by bacteria known as Vibrio.  He had gone swimming in the Fort Pierce Inlet with a cut on his leg.  No need to stay away from the lagoon.  But the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute says don’t let a puncture, cut or sore come in contact with the water or with a fish.  Avoid long exposure to brackish, stagnant water.  Toxic marine bacteria are microscopic but dangerous.  I’m Paul Janensch.