Two more dead - now six in total - after eating Oysters tainted with flesh-eating bacteria
Flesh-eating bacteria in oysters leaves 6 dead
- Two more people have died after consuming Louisiana-harvested oysters contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus, raising the state's 2025 toll to six deaths and 34 infections.
- This surge marks the highest annual increase in Vibrio vulnificus cases and fatalities seen in Louisiana in over a decade.
- The recently deceased individuals were served the contaminated oysters at separate restaurants, one located in Louisiana and another in Florida.
- Vibrio vulnificus, a pathogen found in warm coastal waters, can infect people who consume raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters, or those with open wounds exposed to brackish or saltwater.
- The infection can lead to severe illness, including necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating infection), limb amputation, and is fatal in approximately one in five cases, sometimes within a day or two.