Nickname: Vibrio

Habitat: Widely distributed in coastal marine waters and is part natural flora of bivalve shellfish (clams, mussels, and oysters). The bacteria are most prevalent during warm summer months.

Disease or illness: Infections start with diarrhea (sometimes bloody), stomach cramps, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. Symptoms usually start 12-24 hours after eating raw or undercooked shellfish.

Who is at risk: Anyone who eats raw or undercooked shellfish from contaminated waters.

Avoidance techniques: Properly cook shellfish products to destroy the bacteria. Chill raw shellfish as soon as possible after harvest and keep at cool temperatures because Vibrio can multiply 50-fold in just 10 hours.

“Warm coastal waters are my ‘Petri-dish’ and I love to hide in raw shellfish ”