Global Courant
According to the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, a 54-year-old Missouri man died after eating raw oysters from a food stand.
The unidentified man was treated at St. Claire’s Hospital and died Thursday.
The culprit is a bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus, which “can be carried by oysters and shellfish,” health officials said in a statement.
Investigators also concluded that “there is no evidence that the company did anything to contaminate the oysters, which were likely already contaminated when the establishment received them.”
RUSSIAN MAN DIES AFTER BEING SEDUTED BY SHARK AT EGYPT’S RED SEA RESORTS
FILE – A Missouri man died after eating raw oysters contaminated with the Vibrio bacteria. (Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Vibriosis, the disease caused by the bacteria, can cause nausea, vomiting, chills, cramps and fever. Death traditionally only occurs in people with weakened immune systems, but the bacteria is still responsible for 95% of deaths from seafood and has a fatality rate of 33%.
The bacteria is traditionally found in warm waters during the summer months and is not transferable from person to person. Infected people usually begin to experience symptoms 12 to 72 hours after consumption, and symptoms usually come on quickly.
MAN IN FLORIDA DIES AFTER BRAIN-EATING INFECTION FROM RINSING Sinuses With TAP WATER
FILE – Health officials said the oysters were likely already contaminated when they arrived at the fish stand where the man sourced them. (Matthew Busch for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Center of Disease Control advises reducing your chances of contracting vibriosis by; do not consume raw shellfish or food that comes into contact with raw shellfish, do not swim in brackish water with open cuts, and wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling shellfish.
Global Courant
According to the CDC, 80,000 Americans become infected with vibriosis each year and about 100 die from it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
