"When I looked a bit closer, I found a massive bit of oyster," shares Dr Michael, adding that shells like this carry a very harmful bacteria called vibrio. Photo / TikTok
"When I looked a bit closer, I found a massive bit of oyster," shares Dr Michael, adding that shells like this carry a very harmful bacteria called vibrio. Photo / TikTok
An Australian doctor has warned beachgoers to be careful this summer after treating a patient who had a something "nasty" lodged under the skin of his foot following a swim.
Dr Michael, a registered GP in Australia, has amassed a following on TikTok "calling out medical misinformation" and sharing wildmedical stories.
In a recent post, the British-born doctor shared a confronting image of a man's foot, captioned: "Beach dangers."
"I had a guy come in to see me," he begins in the video.
"He had a sore heel and he had been walking on it for about two weeks, limping on it."
Dr Michael explained the injury had occurred after his patient had been surfing and swimming among live coral and oyster shells, found on the ocean beds of many Aussie and NZ beaches.
"When I looked a bit closer, I found a massive bit of oyster," shares Dr Michael, adding that shells like this carry a very harmful bacteria called vibrio. Photo / TikTok
"When I looked a bit closer, I found a massive bit of oyster," he said.
"It had been sitting under the skin for the last two weeks.
"Shells and coral carry a really nasty bacteria called vibrio. If you don't get a wound washed out properly and get given the right antibiotics, then you could end up with a really serious infection."
Vibrio can cause septicaemia if consumed in raw or undercooked seafood, particularly raw oysters. It can also cause a necrotising (flesh-eating) infection when an open wound is exposed to warm seawater with high concentrations of the bug.
The infection can be deadly with studies showing one-in-five who are infected with the bacteria die. Others require intensive care or limb amputations.
Many in the comments section of Dr Michael's video shared their own experiences and tips to avoid the infection.
"This is why I wear aqua shoes at the beach," one wrote.
"My friend's dad had some of his fingers amputated after getting cut on coral," another said.
While one said: "People don't realise how bad oyster cuts are."
Signs and symptoms of the vibrio vulnificus infection
There are several signs and symptoms of vibrio vulnificus infection you can look out for according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
– Watery diarrhoea, often accompanied by stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever
