Avoid Raw Pacific NW Shellfish
This is the second major article I have seen on the subject. There has been an unusually high increase in the bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp).
Now, I only mention this because I got nailed by Vp from a raw oyster about four weeks before WWDC (really bad timing, that). I had a bunch of raw oysters and my digestive system melted down about 18 hours later (Vp has an incubation time of anywhere from around 12 to 96 hours). It took exactly one week to shake it completely.
Personally, I’m not going there again until I the CDC/FDA announces that it is safe again.
Eating raw shellfish is always a roll of the dice, but the chances of [quite literally] crapping out are much higher right about now. You have been warned.
Update: The comments mentioned a different kind of shellfish poisoning called “Neurologic Shellfish Poisoning”. Symptoms can include a reversal of hot/cold sensations. Phil added a link to a site with more information, including information on a several forms of tainted shellfish poisoning that are considerably worse than an exploding digestive systems.
Yup, I’ll still eat raw oysters, but not for quite a while!
August 12th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
I heard about a really weird type of shellfish food poisoning, it sounded so interesting that I always sort of wished I’d get it. It has the bizarre side-effect of temporarily reversing your sensations of hot and cold. You can touch an ice cube and it feels like you are touching a flame, and vice versa. Weird. I wish I could remember the name of this particular malady.
August 13th, 2006 at 1:02 am
Charles – it’s called “Neurologic Shellfish Poisoning” – there’s some info on it here
August 14th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
Interesting. Most of the web info I found is biochemical research that is way over my head. When I first heard about NSP, they mentioned a research center you were supposed to contact if you got it, as it is so rare that they wanted to do research on every case, they’d pay for your medical care if you’d volunteer to be a research subject. But alas I don’t remember who you were supposed to contact.
Well, in any case, I’m just glad I have an iron stomach, you’d freak if you saw some of the strange seafood I’ve eaten, and I’ve never had any problems.
August 14th, 2006 at 10:33 pm
Yeah — NSP sounds like some seriously messed up stuff. The potentially permanent short term memory loss sounds particularly nasty.
I have an iron gut, too, but even an iron gut will fall to the likes of Pv or some of the other strange crap that blooms during out-of-kilter weather (like the heat along the west coast). I’m quite firmly in the “I’ll try it if someone makes a regular meal out of it” camp.
August 15th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Ha.. that’s my general rule when someone tries to get me to eat something weird, I say, “you first.” But there are a few things that I just won’t eat, like fugu and raw beef sashimi.
March 22nd, 2007 at 12:28 am
[...] delivered as the marinade of a dollop of caviar on top of each oyster. First oysters I have had since I became a statistic last year. Good way to get back on the wagon. Damned [...]