Venezuelan crab meat could be contaminated, according to the FDA

As of Thursday, 12 cases have been reported of people with the bacteria, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the FDA said in a press release.

Eight cases were reported in Maryland, two in Louisiana and one in Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, four people requiring hospitalization, according to the release. Most people infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus develop diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, nausea, fever, and stomach pain, "said the FDA. "The diarrhea tends to be watery and sometimes bloody."

People who eat or buy crabmeat in a grocery store should ask where the product comes from, the FDA said. Crab meat is often found in plastic pots and marked as "precooked," according to the FDA.