Raw Oysters From Food Cart Kills Man With Flesh-Eating Bacteria Vibrio Vulnificus, Officials In Search of Supplier

Officials are searching for the supplier of raw oysters sold on a Missouri food cart after the raw delicacy was tainted with the flesh-eating disease Vibrio vulnificus and killed a man last week.

According to a news statement from the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, the man died from the bacteria after eating raw oysters purchased from The Fruit Stand & Seafood in Manchester, Missouri.

The individual, whose identity has not been released, was in the care of St. Claire Hospital when he died.

Flesh-Eating Bacteria Vibrio Vulnificus

According to the health department, death from vibriosis is uncommon and usually happens in patients with weaker immune systems. The bacteria is to blame for more than 95% of seafood-related fatalities in the United States.

Customers who recently bought at The Fruit Stand & Seafood were likewise advised to discard any remaining oysters.

According to DPH officials, there is no indication that the company did anything to poison the oysters, which were likely already tainted when the institution acquired them. DPH placed an embargo on all remaining oysters in the business establishment. Investigators are trying to figure out where the oysters came from, NDTV reports.

Vibrosis Infection

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 80,000 people develop the virus each year, resulting in approximately 100 fatalities in the United States. The CDC advised individuals to avoid eating raw shellfish or to fully wash their hands before doing so.

They also advised individuals to avoid swimming in saltwater or brackish water when wounded and to carefully wash exposed skin with soap and water.

According to St. Louis County Missouri, several varieties of vibrio bacteria can cause sickness, with Vibrio vulnificus being the most likely to cause serious illness.

Vibrio vulnificus is commonly found in warm, coastal waters throughout the summer months. Vibrio vulnificus is generally contracted by the consumption of raw or even undercooked oysters as well as other seafood. If someone with skin lesions or wounds swims in or is exposed to contaminated water, Vibrio vulnificus can cause wound infection. Vibrio vulnificus infections can not be transmitted from person to person.

Nasty Little Bug

Infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus along the East Coast of the United States could double in the next 20 years, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports in March. The flesh-eating bacteria can thrive in the northern seas because of the warmer temperature of the sea surface.

Vibrio vulnificus, according to Iain Lake, the study co-author and a University of East Anglia professor of environmental sciences, is a "nasty little bug" because infections spread quickly and the bacteria may seriously harm a person's tissue. He went on to say that one in every five cases is fatal and that many patients undergo amputations to live, NBC News reports.