Lack of disease recognition, and also of the risk factors, presentation, and cause, were and are major obstacles to good outcome and recovery.After the successful treatment of the first person, the Florida Department of Health was able to trace  the origin of the outbreak to Apalachicola Bay oysters and their harvesting in water prone to excessive growth of the organism. This contamination was due to warmth of the water and change in freshwater dilution because of a change in flow of the Chattahoochee River into the Apalachicola River, and in turn into Apalachicola Bay. A similar situation occurred after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Further treatment research
While the treatment for V. vulnificus can be as straightforward as making the rapid choice of appropriate antibiotics, there have been cases in which the genes mutated, thus rendering antibiotics ineffective. While looking for an answer to this problem, researchers found that one way to stop the infection from spreading is to again mutate the bacteria. This mutation happens on the flagellum of the bacteria. When injected with flgC and flgE (two genes in the flagella that cause the mutation), the flagellum no longer function properly. When unable to move normally, the bacteria is no longer able to spread toxins through the body, thus decreasing the effect that V. vulnificus has on the body systemically. History
The pathogen was first isolated in 1976 from a series of blood culture samples submitted to the CDC in Atlanta. It was  described as a "lactose-positive vibrio".
Infection and mortality due to V. vulnificus causes over 95% of deaths in the United States that are known to have occurred due to ingested seafood. Surprisingly enough, while V. vulnificus claims 95% of seafood related deaths, if treatment with tetracycline or other cephalosporin antibiotics is initiated at the onset of symptoms and is managed appropriately, patients will experience no long term effects, provided they continue to take the full course of antibiotics—typically about two weeks.The worst prognosis is in those people arriving at hospital in a state of shock. Total mortality in treated people (ingestion and wound) is around 33%.People especially vulnerable are those with liver disease (especially cirrhosis and hepatitis) or immunocompromised states (some kinds of cancer, bone marrow suppression, HIV, diabetes, etc.). With these cases, V. vulnificus usually enters the bloodstream, where it may cause fever and chills, septic shock (with sharply decreased blood pressure), and blistering skin lesions. About half of those who contract blood infections die. Vibrio vulnificus infections also disproportionately affect males; 85% of those developing endotoxic shock from the bacteria are male. Females having had an oophorectomy experienced increased mortality rates, as  estrogen has been shown experimentally to have a protective effect against V. vulnificus. Epidemiology
Vibrio vulnificus is commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico, where more than a dozen people have died from the infection since 1990. Most deaths at that time were occurring due to fulminant sepsis, either in the area of oyster harvest and ingestion, or in tourists returning home.