If you eat [tag-tec]oysters[/tag-tec], are you careful? Did you know that seafood that lives in some waters can be especially dangerous if not eaten carefully? Gulf oysters are one such mollusk that must be prepared carefully or you risk illness.

Have you heard of Vibrio vulnificus? If not and you are an oyster eater, then you need to visit the BeOysterAware website. Vibrio vulnificus is a gram-negative bacterium that occurs naturally in warm, unpolluted seawater. Levels of Vibrio vulnificus are positively correlated with seawater temperature, and warmer water temperatures are linked to an increase in Vibrio vulnificus related illnesses.

Becoming ill with Vibrio vulnificus comes from the direct consumption of raw, undercooked or non-depurated seafood (finfish, crustaceans, and mollusks) and exposure of wounds to contaminated seawater. Although Vibrio vulnificus related infections are treatable with antibiotics, without prompt medical attention you can become very sick.

Oysters are sedentary bivalve mollusks that eat by filtering plankton from estuarine water. Because Vibrio vulnificus occurs naturally in the same waters that oysters feed, the bacteria is ingested and becomes concentrated in the animal?s tissues. Then when people ingest oysters, there is a risk of becoming infected with Vibrio vulnificus.

If you eat oysters, please do so carefully and make sure that they are prepared according to recommended specifications.