Florida Beachgoers at Risk as Deadly Bacteria Adapts to Plastic and Seaweed Blooms

The combination of sargassum, vibrio bacteria, and man-made plastics in the ocean is creating a "perfect pathogen storm" that poses a threat to marine life and human health. Vibrio has evolved to attach to and thrive on plastic, and its numbers increase as it sits on the beach. People are advised to wash themselves off after coming in contact with sargassum, especially if they have open cuts.