Climate change promotes the spreading of vibrios: IOW study reveals global distribution patterns

24.09.2025 11:30

scanning electron microscope image of bacteria of the species Vibrio vulnificus — Can be potentially very dangerous to humans: bacteria of the species Vibrio vulnificus (shown here in a scanning electron microscope image, Janice Haney Carr, CDC Public Health Image Library)

Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that is potentially very dangerous to humans, is a natural component of marine plankton. The IOW has now presented the first comprehensive analysis of its global distribution. It shows that the pathogen occurs in almost all coastal regions of the world, but is more prevalent at comparatively high water temperatures, moderate salinity levels, and in decaying algal blooms. Published in Nature’s journal “Communications Earth & Environment”, the study also provides a predictive model that can be used to estimate future climate change-induced changes in the distribution of vibrios.

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20250924_press_Vibrio_distribution_worldwide_en_final.pdf (222.1 KiB)

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