A batch of oysters served at a restaurant in Galveston, Texas, has been linked to the death of a man in his 30s over Labor Day weekend, according to reports.
“He had problems with his liver,” said Dr. Philip Keiser with the Galveston County Local Health Authority, according to Fox 5. “He also had some other problems, and he had to take some medication that suppressed his immune system. It just so happens that the conditions that he had really predisposed him to an overwhelming infection with Vibrio Vulnificus.”
Vibrio bacterial infections causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses each year in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are around a dozen species of the virus that cause infections in humans.
“Most people with Vibrio infection have diarrhea,” the CDC explained. “Some people might also have stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. One species, V. vulnificus, is known to cause life-threatening infections.”
There are only around 150 to 200 V. vulnificus infections reported every year. Of those who get it, about one in five die, sometimes within days of getting sick. One of the main ways people get infected with Vibrio bacteria is by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, oysters in particular.
“An oyster that contains Vibrio doesn’t look, smell, or taste different from any other oyster,” the CDC said.
Earlier this month, the CDC issued a warning about recent reports of fatal Vibrio vulnificus infections, including wound and foodborne infections. These were linked to coastal waters, “particularly near the Gulf of Mexico or East Coast, and during periods with warmer coastal sea surface temperatures,” said the centers.
In Galveston, local health authorities are now investigating the recent oyster-related death, said Fox 5. Keiser said the man consumed several raw oysters on Aug. 29. And was admitted to the hospital two days later before dying that weekend. As of Monday, his identity had not been released.
Additionally, the name of the restaurant has not been released, said Fox 5.
“We’ve actually gone to the restaurant where he was eating, and we pulled the oysters from the shelf,” said Keiser. “There are tags to them, so we can identify the lots, and the state is actually analyzing them to see if we can find the bug in a particular lot of oysters.”