BOURNE, Mass. —

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is warning residents and visitors about a dangerous bacterium that can cause a flesh-eating disease in a person who was swimming at a Cape Cod beach.

A rare case of Vibrio vulnificus infection — a dangerous bacterium more commonly found in Gulf Coast states — was detected in a person who swam at a beach on Buzzards Bay, officials said.

"People with open wounds who spend time in the water, or those who consume contaminated shellfish, can develop an infection when the bacteria enter the body. Sometimes these infections can spread through the bloodstream and cause severe, even life-threatening illness," said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein.

Some infections can lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in whi

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