1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works. Hey, brain stuff, 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: it's Christian saga here. Did you know that every month 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: sands May, June, July, and August has the letter R 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: in its name. Don't look it up, take my word 5 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: for it. Did you also know there's an old wives 6 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: tale that you shouldn't eat raw oysters in months without 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: the letter R in it. Once again, you don't need 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: to look it up. I'm not gonna lie to you. 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: The logic behind this is that if you eat oysters 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:38,599 Speaker 1: during these months you could get sick. Sounds like crazy talk, right, 11 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: and perhaps so, perhaps not. But if you think about it, 12 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: the months without an R fall during the summer in 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: the northern hemisphere, and the truth is that if you 14 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: eat raw oysters in the summer, you do run the 15 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: risk of getting violently sick. That's because, and let me 16 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: tell you this does not come from an old wife. 17 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,959 Speaker 1: When the weather is warm back to area known as 18 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: Vibrio vulnificious and Vibrio parahemoliticus thrive, and these pathogens multiply 19 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: like nobody's business in warm water, especially in the Gulf 20 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: of Mexico, where there are a lot of oysters harvested, 21 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: so eating raw oysters during the summer theoretically could increase 22 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: your chances of becoming sick. Unlike chicken, pork, or hamburger, 23 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: all of which stink to high heaven when they go bad, 24 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: oysters do not, so you can't tell when an oyster 25 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: has turned the corner. They're also usually not ranted to 26 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: the taste. However, you'll feel the effects about twenty four 27 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: to forty eight hours after eating an oyster that's gone 28 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: bad with vibrio chills, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, you know the drill. 29 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: In some people, high doses of Vibrio can actually be 30 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: life threatening, especially the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, 31 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: and people who drink too much alcohol. But let's be clear, 32 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: infections caused by all Vibrio species are rare. The Centers 33 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: for Disease Control and Prevention estimates they are about eighty 34 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: thousand vibrio illnesses of all types each year in the 35 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: United States. More than half are related to eating contaminated food. 36 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: The most common strain, Vibrio parahemolyticus, is responsible for forty 37 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: five thousand illnesses annually. Those numbers are a drop in 38 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: the bucket compared to salmonila, which the c d C 39 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: says is responsible for more than one million illnesses each year. 40 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: Those eating oysters harvested from the Gulf Coast, where the 41 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: water typically is warmer than along the East and West coasts, 42 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: should be on guard. That's because vibrio thrives when the 43 00:02:54,880 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: water temperature near sixty eight degrees fahrenheit or twenty degrees celsius. 44 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: So if you're going to saddle up to an oyster 45 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: bar during the summer months and are concerned whether these 46 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: slimy suckers are contamidated, well ask the chef where they're 47 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: harvested from. Most chefs are reliable and only by from 48 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: reputable fisheries and purveyors they trust. Or you can just 49 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: stick to the cold water East or West coast oysters 50 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: until the chillier months return in the Gulf. Today's episode 51 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: was written by John Paraitano, produced by Dylan Fagan, and 52 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: for more on this and other topics, please visit us 53 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com.