April 24 2015 — State and federal shellfish and health officials told an audience of oyster farmers and shellfishermen Thursday that their efforts toward controlling bacterial contamination of oysters, as well as increased research and technical help from the state and federal governments, had paid off.
Known as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the bacteria are naturally occurring in the shallow waters where oysters are raised or flourish in the wild. They reproduce quickly in summertime temperatures and can sicken, and in rare cases kill, a person who eats an oyster that has been allowed to warm up to the point where the bacteria proliferate. Eating a contaminated oyster can cause gastrointestinal distress with vomiting, cramping and diarrhea.