A deadly flesh eating bacteria found in the sea has killed 10 people in Florida by making its way into human bloodstreams.

Health officials of Florida declared 32 people infected with the bacteria leading to a record of 10 deaths.

According to experts, vibrio vulnificus is a cousin of the same bacterium which causes Cholera.

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Pamela Crane, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health, said that a person can contract the bacteria by eating raw oysters and shellfish.

Those who have open wounds and weak immune system are also at high risk when they swim in seawater.

Ingestion of tainted oysters and shellfish can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Eating a whole contaminated oyster can claim a person's life.

Those with chronic liver diseases are particularly prone to suffering life-threatening conditions characterized by chills and fever and coupled with decreased blood pressure as well as skin lesions.

A tiny ant bite can even create an entrance through which the bacteria is able to make its way to the bloodstream.

When open wounds are exposed to seawater and infected with the bacteria, infections may lead to ulcerations and skin breakdown.

There is a 50 percent fatality rate in high risk individuals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vibrio vulnificus mostly occurs in months between May and October and tends to be most dangerous during this period.

People who exhibit symptoms of the bacteria infection should be administered with antibiotics immediately.

Commonly used antibiotics are doxycycline and cephalosporin, which increase the patient's survival rate. However, although victims can recover with the help of antibiotics, skin lesions and sever infections may require surgery or amputation, reports state.

This alarming condition in Florida has caused researchers to try to find better ways of combatting the bacteria.

Tagsvibrio bacteria, seawater bacteria, FL seawater bacteria, FL vibrio, Flesh eating bacteria