A man in Galveston, Texas, who was only in his 30s to 40s, died after consuming oysters that contained flesh-eating bacteria. The young man battled the illness for three days in the hospital before tragically succumbing to the infection and passing away.
From People:
Officials have attributed his death to Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria prevalent in warm, coastal waters, which can infect individuals when they consume raw or undercooked shellfish, notably oysters. Additionally, infection can occur through contact with an open wound.
Keiser noted that the individual had a pre-existing liver condition and was undergoing immunosuppressive drug treatment.
On September 1st, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Advisory through the Public Health Alert Network (HAN) to alert the public, laboratories, and public health departments about recent instances of fatal infections, encompassing both wound and foodborne infections.
“Vibrio vulnificus, it’s name is actually fraught with meaning because the vulnificus means it’s like a volcano and it refers to the fact that these infections once they take hold can spread extremely rapidly like wildfire,” Keiser said in an interview with KTRK.
Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, as well as skin-related symptoms like cellulitis (a painful, red rash on the skin) and blistering lesions.
“Now, in a healthy person we can treat that fairly easily but we have to have what is called a high index of suspicion meaning you gotta think about it,” Keiser said. “And so, for doctors, if you see someone who’s been in the water and they have a rash that is spreading very very fast, almost where they have blisters, you need to think about Vibrio vulnificus and you need to use the appropriate treatment for it.”
This certainly is not the first time someone has died from Vibrio vulnificus here in the U.S. There are actually around 80,000 cases annually where people have come in contact with the bacteria, and many with preexisting conditions eventually succumb to the illness.
So, if you have some type of compromised immune system, it might not be a bad idea to eliminate oysters altogether.
