Health and Fitness Journal

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium found in the same family as the bacteria that causes cholera, and normally lives in seawater. It is also a part of a group of vibrios that are referred to as “halophilic” because they require salt. Vibrio vulnificus can be contracted by humans in those who have an open wound exposed to seawater, or eat contaminated seafood.

Ingesting vibrio vulnificus can cause vomitting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, and in those with weakened immune systems (especially those with chronic liver disease), it can also infect the bloodstream. Should vibrio vulnificus infect the bloodstream, it can cause a severe and life-threatening illness which is characterized by fever and chills, blistering skin lesions, and decreased blood pressure (septic shock). Vibrio vulnificus infections of the blood stream are fatal about 50% of the time.

Those who spend time near the sea can also contract a vibrio vulnificus infection if they have open wounds exposed to the seawater. Infections of this time can lead to skin breakdown and ulceration, and similar to the ingested infections, those with weakened immune systems are at a much higher risk for invasion of the bacterium into the blood stream.

Vibrio vulnificus is a pretty rare cause of disease, but is also believed to be very underreported. The majority of vibrio vulnificus infections occur in the Gulf Coast states, and between 1988 and 1995 over 300 cases of the infection were reported in the Gulf region.

Those who contract vibriuo vulnificus are most often treated with antibiotics. The earlier the infection is caught and the earlier antibiotics are administered, the better the chance of a full recovery in the patient. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics for treatment of vibrio vulnificus are Doxycycline, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and gatifloxacin. For treatment of infections in children, they can be treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole plus an aminoglycoside.

Some tips to avoid contracting vibrio vulnificus include not eating raw oysters or raw shellfish, and cooking shellfish thoroughly. For shellfish that are in the shell, you should either boil them until the shell opens and continue boiling for 5 additional minutes, or steam until the shells open and then continue cooking for an additional 9 minutes. Those shellfish that do not open while cooking should be discarded. Shucked oysters should be boiled for at least 3 minutes, or fried in oil for at least 10 minutes at 375°F. Eat shellfish promptly after cooking, and always refrigerate leftovers. Avoid exposure of open wounds or broken skin to warm salt or brackish water, or to raw shellfish harvested from such waters, and wear protective clothing (such as gloves) when handling raw shellfish. If you suspect that you may have a vibrio vulnificus infection, seek medical attention immediately.

Comments are off for this post

You know the commercials they have on tv for various prescription medications? At the end of each commercial the drug companies have to tell us about all the potential side effects of the medication, and on some of these types of commercials they close with the line “If you have an erection lasting longer than 4 hours, see your doctor.” It usually causes a few snickers, and you’ve probably heard people joking about it. In fact, you may have laughed yourself. But the truth of the matter is, priaprism, or an erection lasting longer than 4 hours, is a serious problem and hardly something to laugh about.

Priaprism is a persistent, and often painful erection that lasts for more than four hours and without sexual stimulation. Priaprism develops when blood in the penis becomes trapped an unable to drain, and if the condition is not treated immediately, it can lead to scarring and permanent erectile dysfunction. You don’t need to take Viagra to get priaprism - it can happen at nearly any age, and without sexual stimulation. Priaprism occurs, however, most commonly in men ages 5 to 10 and 20 to 50 years old.

There are two kinds of priaprism, high-flow and low-flow. In low-flow priaprism, the condition results from blood being trapped in the erection chambers. Low-flow priaprism often occurs in men without a known cause who are otherwise healthy, but can also affect men with leukemia, malaria, or sickle-cell disease. High-flow priaprism is much more rare than low-flow priaprism, and is generally less painful. High-flow priaprism is the result of a ruptured artery from an injury to the penis or perineum, which thus prevents blood in the penis from circulating normally.

A common cause of priaprism is the use and misuse of certain medications. Drugs such as Desyrel and Thorazine are known to occassionally cause priaprism, and for those with erectile dysfunction, injection therapy medications used to treat the condition can also cause priaprism. Other causes of priaprism include trauma to the spinal cord or genital area, carbon monoxide poisoning, illicit drug use (such as marijuana and cocaine), and black widow spider bites. Rarely, priaprism may be related to cancers that affect the penis and prevent the outflow of blood.

If you suspect you have priaprism, do not attempt to treat it yourself. Seek immediate medical attention. If you receive treatment within four to six hours, the erection can almost always be reduced with medication. If the erection has lasted less than four hours, decongestant medications may be helpful. Other treatment options include ice packs, surgical ligation, surgical shunt, aspiration, and intravenous injection.

As long as you receive prompt medical attention and treatment, the outlook will be very good and you can most often expect to fully regain functional erections. But the longer that you delay seeking medical attention, the greater the risk of permanent erectile dysfunction.

No comments