Let’s sing a song of glory to Themistocles O’Shea,
Who ate a dozen oysters on the second day of May.
– Stoddard King, The Man Who Dared
Those who are squeamish about oysters or disgusted by those who eat the bivalve molluscs in an uncooked state are excused today. The oyster rite is not for everyone.
But registered dietitian and nutrition writer Denise Beatty recently went a step further by advising LifeLine readers: “Don’t eat raw molluscs (oysters, clams, mussels).”
Why not?
The reason Beatty gave was vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium found in raw oysters, clams and mussels. In the U.S., it’s “the leading cause of death from raw or undercooked fish,” she wrote.
Surprisingly, the no-raw-oyster dictum drew no protests from oyster bar proprietors in Toronto and environs.
But it prompted a mild complaint from Peter Taylor, a self- described “former Maritimer who isn’t addicted to raw oysters — probably no more than a dozen a week.”
“I’m sure that any reference to (oysters) should make room for the standard warnings about shellfish allergies, how to tell if fish is fresh, and so on,” he said. “But don’t eat seems a bit much.”
To determine who was right, the Bureau of Accuracy phoned Bonnie Fox-McIntyre of Health Canada. Her first words: “Don’t eat raw oysters, Don. No, really.”
Fox-McIntyre faxed a four-page “issues” document from the Health Protection Branch. “Eating raw molluscan shellfish can be fatal,” it said.
The paper confirmed that vibrio vulnificus is “the leading cause of death in the southern U.S. in persons eating raw or undercooked seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico.” The highest concentrations occur in oysters; the worst time for infection is between May and October.
What about Canada?
“In Canada,” the handout said, “there have been no reported cases of vibrio vulnificus infection due to eating raw or undercooked molluscan shellfish.”
So we’re safe, then? Not exactly, says the Health Protection Branch. “Canadians are still at risk, as Canada imports some oysters from the Gulf of Mexico and many Canadians travel to the U.S.A.”
If raw oysters are dangerous, then why are there oyster bars in Metro?
For an answer, the Bureau phoned Rise Kogon, director of environmental health, City of Toronto health department. Her office’s duties include restaurant inspections.
“There is a theoretical risk (from raw oysters),” Kogon said. “So the (LifeLine) article is not wrong in terms of the information presented.”
But. “Through all the years there have been oyster bars in the city, we can’t recall any cases” of vibrio vulnificus infection, she said. “Generally speaking, the sources used for shellfish here are good, so it hasn’t been a problem.”
Kogon agreed with Ottawa that those vulnerable to infection from bad oysters are people with liver disease or “compromised” immune systems. “They have to be careful about many things, not just oysters. Their systems just can’t handle anything that a healthy person can easily fight off.”
Kogon (“Personally, I don’t like raw oysters, so I don’t understand the attraction”) also suggested most oyster eaters appreciate the risks, and make an educated choice.
So a dozen please, with a squirt of lemon.
