A 54-year-old man in Missouri has died after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria infection from eating raw oysters.
The St. Louis County Department of Public Health said the unidentified man became infected after eating oysters purchased from a store at The Fruit Stand & Seafood in the St. Louis suburb of Manchester.
The man was infected with the flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, which is usually contracted by eating whole or undercooked oysters and other shellfish. Symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, and chills; infection Death is uncommon and tends to occur in people with weakened immune systems.
Officials have banned The Fruit Stand & Seafood from selling surplus oysters and are advising people to throw away any oysters purchased from the store.
The Public Health Bureau stated through a press release that there is no evidence that the store caused the contamination of the oysters, and the oysters were likely contaminated before they arrived at the store; the source of the oysters is currently being traced.
According to the Public Health Bureau, "Vibrio vulnificus" usually appears in warm coastal waters in summer. In addition to eating and being infected, it may also be infected if there is a wound and comes into contact with contaminated water, but it does not spread from person to person.
More than 95% of seafood deaths in the United States are caused by this bacteria, and the mortality rate after infection with this bacteria is about 33%.
To reduce the risk of infection, the CDC recommends not eating whole or undercooked oysters and shellfish, and washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling shellfish; Water body mixed with salt and fresh water, in case the wound comes into contact with raw seafood or seawater, be sure to wash it thoroughly.