Raw oysters are popular, and raw oyster bars turn up in some of the trendiest restaurants. But raw or undercooked oysters and other seafood can cause infections, including vibriosis, caused by some kinds of Vibrio bacteria.
Vibrio live naturally in certain coastal waters. Oysters feed by filtering water, so the bacteria can build up in their tissues — and eaten raw or undercooked, those germs can make you sick.
1. You can get very sick
| Most Vibrio infections from oysters | diarrhea and vomiting, and no more |
| Vibrio vulnificus | can be severe: many people need intensive care or a limb amputation, and about 1 in 5 die — sometimes within a day or two of falling ill |
2. You can't tell by looking
An oyster carrying harmful germs looks, smells and even tastes just like any other.
3. There is no safe month
Most Vibrio infections happen in the warmer months, but cases have been reported all year round.
4. Only cooking works
Hot sauce and lemon juice do not kill Vibrio. Nor does drinking alcohol with your oysters. Cooking oysters properly kills the harmful germs they may carry.
More: CDC on preventing Vibrio infection — from food and from wounds — and its podcast Dangerous Raw Oysters.
Sources
Based on "Vibrio and Oysters," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The stock photos on the original page are left out.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
1
0
0
0
Comments
