JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax has learned officials in St. Johns County are investigating a case of Vibrio vulnificus, a dangerous and even potentially life-threatening bacteria.
This comes as a local woman and former Action News Jax anchor shares her recent battle with Vibrio that turned a family getaway into a fight for her life.
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Tera Lageman’s family had a great time during a weekend trip to Charleston, South Carolina this past Valentine’s Day weekend. Dining out was a part of their agenda and included a longtime family favorite, raw oysters.
“That is a family tradition. My dad and I especially, are just oyster connoisseurs.” Lageman said, “That weekend, we ate oysters Friday night, Saturday night, at brunch on Sunday, we ate a lot of oysters.”
By Sunday, Lageman started feeling off and chalked it up to food poisoning. But in the wee hours of Monday morning, her condition deteriorated. She said her husband Jeff, a former Jacksonville Jaguars player, woke her up and knew something was seriously wrong.
“He had to wake me up because he said i was almost delirious and just would not stop moaning in pain,” Lageman said.
Lageman ended up at the Mayo Clinic Emergency Room where doctors ran tests and determined the culprit was Vibrio.
“I had never heard of that, had no idea what it was. They explained it to me and I was shocked,” Lageman said.
The CDC says vibrio are bacteria that naturally live in certain coastal waters and can enter the body if you eat raw or undercooked shellfish or have open wounds that are exposed to floodwaters, seawater, or brackish water. The CDC said Vibrio bacteria typically grows faster from May to October when the water temperatures are warmer.
Lageman said she was immediately isolated from other patients and given a strict course of antibiotics and fluids. Her blood was also constantly tested to make sure the bacteria hadn’t spread into her bloodstream.
After three days in the hospital, she was cleared to go home, but a couple of days later, the pain returned with a vengeance and sent her back to the emergency room.
“The worst pain I’ve ever felt was when I had my daughter. This was 10 times worse than labor pains,” Lageman said.
Lageman learned the bacteria had inflamed her body.
“The CT scan showed that my diverticulitis was worse, and then my appendix was about to rupture. So, they had to take me into emergency surgery to get an appendectomy,” Lageman said.
St. Johns County investigating case of Vibrio vulnificus
Lageman is sharing her story, as Action News Jax has learned five cases of Vibrio vulnificus, one of the most dangerous species of vibrio, have been confirmed in Florida so far this year.
That includes a case reported in April in St. Johns County. Action News Jax asked the St. Johns County health department how the case was contracted.
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A spokesperson said in part, “DOH-St. Johns cannot comment on an ongoing epidemiological investigation. Details about specific cases and individuals is confidential.”
But checking state health data, Action News Jax learned the person is between 75 and 79 years old and the infection was acquired in Florida.
Lageman said the life-changing ordeal has made her more vigilant and she wants others to be careful too.
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“I guess i would just warn people just to do your research,” Lageman said. “It’s changed my whole family. I don’t think any of us will ever eat raw oysters ever again. Never.”
Lageman said her case was reported to the South Carolina Department of Public Health.
The Department of Health in St. Johns County provided the following fact sheet about vibrio vulnificus.
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