The beach is home to sun, sand and deadly germs

If you want your health to be in tip-top shape this summer, you need to be aware of the dangerous germs you might be exposed to at the beach.

As the oceans begin to warm during the summer months, the water can become a breeding ground for a range of harmful diseases.

Last week, a South Carolina man found this out the hard way after stepping on a seashell and contracting a serious foot infection, according to ABC News4. After a visit to the emergency room, doctors determined he had been infected with vibrio, a potentially deadly bacteria.

But that’s not the only germ hiding in salt and sand. Gizmodo shared the following pathogens you’ll want to avoid as the weather warms up.

Vibrio

There are about a dozen types of vibrio bacteria that can cause a disease in people called vibriosis. The bacteria lives in coastal waters and becomes more prevalent between May and October when temperatures rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If the bacteria enters the body through an open wound, it can cause a flesh-eating infection. People can also get sick from vibrio found in raw shellfish, and the bacteria claimed the lives of a New Yorker and two Connecticut residents last summer. Symptoms may include diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever and chills.

“Although rare, vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made its way to this area and can be extremely dangerous,” Hochul said in a press release issued in August.

“As we further investigate, it is critical that all New Yorkers remain vigilant and take responsible precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including protecting open wounds from seawater and, for those whose immune system is weakened, avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish which can carry bacteria.

MRSA

Nothing ruins a sunny day like a case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA. MRSA is an infection caused by staph bacteria that is resistant to several antibiotics used to treat other types of staph infections, the Mayo Clinic explained.

Studies have shown that sand and water from beaches and lakes can harbor MRSA bacteria.

Symptoms of MRSA usually begin with a swollen, painful red buttocks that look like pimples, are warm to the touch, filled with pus, and accompanied by a fever. The bumps can turn into abscesses that need to be drained. The infection can spread to the bloodstream, lungs, heart, bones and joints and can be life-threatening.

E. Coli

The bacteria Escherichia coli, commonly known as E.coli, can live normally in the intestines and some E.coli are harmless. However, some strains can cause symptoms such as stomach cramps, vomiting and bloody diarrhea, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Some strains of E. coli can cause more serious illness and kidney damage and, in rare cases, can be fatal, especially in people with weakened immune systems.

People can contract E. coli from contaminated food, but it can also be found in freshwater lakes and on beaches due to runoff from storms and sewer treatment sites, Gizmodo explained.

More than half of New York’s beaches are contaminated with feces and sewage, according to a shocking report released by Environment America last summer.