A man dies of a bacterial infection after eating raw oysters in Florida

A 71-year-old man died of a bacterial infection after eating raw oysters at a restaurant in Sarasota County, Florida, according to reports.

The Florida Department of Health did not release the identity of the man or restaurant where he ate, but CBS Miami reported that the man died two days later eating oysters after contracting Vibrio vulnificus infection.

"We have an individual who eaten raw oysters and, to our knowledge, was not exposed to salt water, became seriously ill and died," said Michael Drennon of Sarasota County Health Department, reports WJAX. 19659002] Vibrio vulnificus is a species of bacteria found in poorly cooked shellfish, particularly oysters, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal diseases in humans. As of 2018, there have been 16 confirmed cases of Vibrio vulnificus in Florida, according to the Department of Health website. Three of these people died.

What is Vibrio?

According to the CDC, Vibrio is a bacterium that commonly lives in coastal waters. They are usually present in greater numbers from May to October, when the water temperatures are warmer. About 80 percent of infections occur during these months.

Vibrio can cause an infection of the skin when an open wound is exposed to brackish water – a mixture of fresh and salt water – where the bacteria thrives . People with weakened immune systems are at higher risk.

People can also develop vibriosis, the disease of Vibrio bacteria, after eating raw or undercooked seafood. Of the 80,000 diseases caused by vibriosis each year, about 52,000 of them were due to the consumption of contaminated food, according to the CDC. Symptoms of the disease usually occur within 24 hours of ingestion and include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, fever and chills.

Most people with mild vibriosis recover in about three days.

A serious illness involving Vibrio vulnificus is rare, but it may require intensive care treatment or amputation of a limb. About 1 in 4 of these cases leads to death, sometimes within a day or two of being infected, according to the CDC.

What to Know About Prevention

Anyone can get sick of vibrosis, though rare. Those with underlying health problems and a weakened immune system are most likely to be infected, according to the CDC.

The Florida Department of Health recommends keeping open wounds covered with clean, dry bandages until they heal and even treat minor uninfected wounds such as blisters or scrapes to avoid bacterial infection of the skin. Do not go in the water if you have fresh cuts or scrapes, "warns the department.

To eat raw or undercooked oysters, it's impossible to know which ones contain the bacteria because Vibrio-infected oysters don & # 39; The CDC says, "The best prevention method is simply to avoid eating raw oysters. "Cook them, fry them, make them boil," said Dr. Fred Lopez, of the Department of Internal Medicine at the LSU School of Medicine, at WWL-TV, a CBS affiliate. "You must have high temperatures and sustained to kill the body."