COCOA BEACH, Fla. — The sight of bountiful seaweed coating parts of the shoreline of Florida’s Atlantic coast is nothing new for the late spring and early summertime. What is new to researchers is what may be within the sargassum.

In study published in the journal Water Research, a research team led by Dr. Tracy Mincer at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) took a close look at the relationship between the sargassum, plastic marine debris and Vibrio bacteria.

The team discovered that the Vibrio were able to attach to microplastics in the ocean and travel with them. And with microplastic able to catch a ride within the sargassum, it creates more opportunities for people to encounter it on land.

“This bacteria has always been a concern of medical professionals when a wound may have been infected or acquired in the ocean or near an ocean,” said Dr. Timothy Laird, the chief medical officer at Health First Medical Group. “And so, this is not a new bacteria, but it’s a new aggressive ability for this bacteria to attach onto plastic and to be in our sargassum.”

Laird said this shouldn’t cause undue alarm for those wanting to visit Florida’s beaches, but it does give another reason to try to avoid coming into contact with the sargassum while at the beach.

“The beaches are as safe as they’ve ever been with just smart avoidance of wounds on the beach and aggressive treatment with soap and water if you do get a wound and then medical care if that wound gets infected. You can still enjoy our great Florida beaches,” Laird said.

Both Laird and the Florida Department of Health said it’s too early to determine if there’s been a measurable uptick in Vibrio-related infections since this year’s sargassum started washing ashore in March.

FDOH did start recommending against contact with sargassum going back to February. One of the strains of the bacteria that FDOH tries to emphasize education about is Vibrio vulnificus, which is sometimes called “flesh-eating bacteria.” It is important to note that there are certain types of Vibrio bacteria and not all of them are the flesh-eating kind.

The agency recommends the following steps to reduce personal risk of infection:

• Avoid exposure of open wounds or broken skin to warm salt or brackish water.


• Avoid cross-contaminating ready-to-eat foods with raw shellfish and its juices.


• Eat shellfish promptly after cooking and refrigerate leftovers.


• Wear protective clothing (e.g., gloves) when handling raw shellfish.


• If you experience any health symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider.

Jonathan Meacham, a longtime surfer and co-owner of Epic Boardsports in Cocoa Beach, has been on the receiving end of two different bacterial infections while on out-of-state surf trips and said he knows how miserable that can be.

He echoed Laird’s comments that the beaches were still safe overall, adding that having more education for the public is certainly a good thing.

“The research that these universities in Florida, (like) FAU and all of this stuff, is super-valuable and I know the end of that study was more studies are warranted, right?” Meacham said. “Absolutely, we’re going to continue to encourage our customers — we’re going to continue to encourage anybody — to play in the ocean, play in Florida’s waterways.”