WEBVTT - When is it Safe to Eat Raw Oysters?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works. Hey, brain stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Christian saga here. Did you know that every month

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<v Speaker 1>sands May, June, July, and August has the letter R

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<v Speaker 1>in its name. Don't look it up, take my word

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<v Speaker 1>for it. Did you also know there's an old wives

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<v Speaker 1>tale that you shouldn't eat raw oysters in months without

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<v Speaker 1>the letter R in it. Once again, you don't need

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<v Speaker 1>to look it up. I'm not gonna lie to you.

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<v Speaker 1>The logic behind this is that if you eat oysters

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<v Speaker 1>during these months you could get sick. Sounds like crazy talk, right,

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<v Speaker 1>and perhaps so, perhaps not. But if you think about it,

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<v Speaker 1>the months without an R fall during the summer in

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<v Speaker 1>the northern hemisphere, and the truth is that if you

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<v Speaker 1>eat raw oysters in the summer, you do run the

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<v Speaker 1>risk of getting violently sick. That's because, and let me

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<v Speaker 1>tell you this does not come from an old wife.

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<v Speaker 1>When the weather is warm back to area known as

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<v Speaker 1>Vibrio vulnificious and Vibrio parahemoliticus thrive, and these pathogens multiply

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<v Speaker 1>like nobody's business in warm water, especially in the Gulf

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<v Speaker 1>of Mexico, where there are a lot of oysters harvested,

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<v Speaker 1>so eating raw oysters during the summer theoretically could increase

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<v Speaker 1>your chances of becoming sick. Unlike chicken, pork, or hamburger,

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<v Speaker 1>all of which stink to high heaven when they go bad,

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<v Speaker 1>oysters do not, so you can't tell when an oyster

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<v Speaker 1>has turned the corner. They're also usually not ranted to

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<v Speaker 1>the taste. However, you'll feel the effects about twenty four

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<v Speaker 1>to forty eight hours after eating an oyster that's gone

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<v Speaker 1>bad with vibrio chills, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, you know the drill.

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<v Speaker 1>In some people, high doses of Vibrio can actually be

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<v Speaker 1>life threatening, especially the elderly, those with compromised immune systems,

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<v Speaker 1>and people who drink too much alcohol. But let's be clear,

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<v Speaker 1>infections caused by all Vibrio species are rare. The Centers

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<v Speaker 1>for Disease Control and Prevention estimates they are about eighty

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<v Speaker 1>thousand vibrio illnesses of all types each year in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States. More than half are related to eating contaminated food.

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<v Speaker 1>The most common strain, Vibrio parahemolyticus, is responsible for forty

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<v Speaker 1>five thousand illnesses annually. Those numbers are a drop in

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<v Speaker 1>the bucket compared to salmonila, which the c d C

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<v Speaker 1>says is responsible for more than one million illnesses each year.

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<v Speaker 1>Those eating oysters harvested from the Gulf Coast, where the

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<v Speaker 1>water typically is warmer than along the East and West coasts,

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<v Speaker 1>should be on guard. That's because vibrio thrives when the

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<v Speaker 1>water temperature near sixty eight degrees fahrenheit or twenty degrees celsius.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you're going to saddle up to an oyster

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<v Speaker 1>bar during the summer months and are concerned whether these

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<v Speaker 1>slimy suckers are contamidated, well ask the chef where they're

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<v Speaker 1>harvested from. Most chefs are reliable and only by from

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<v Speaker 1>reputable fisheries and purveyors they trust. Or you can just

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<v Speaker 1>stick to the cold water East or West coast oysters

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<v Speaker 1>until the chillier months return in the Gulf. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by John Paraitano, produced by Dylan Fagan, and

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<v Speaker 1>for more on this and other topics, please visit us

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<v Speaker 1>at how stuff works dot com.