Thread: Flesh eating bacteria

I'm wondering if I should lose my taste for sushi.






Orange Beach tourist contracts flesh-eating bacteria after eatin - Alabamas13.com WVTM-TV Birmingham, AL

Dang I love raw oysters.

I got some bad ones back in '96 and have not eaten them raw since (in Baltimore, BTW, not local). My last thought as I passed out on the bathroom floor covered in vomit was "I hope my children don't know how they found me." I was not drunk.

Got vibrio about 10 years back from handling crabs/crab traps in Mobile Bay.

Nothing to be fooled around with, but I did not have the kind of trouble this guy is having as my immune system is intact and I treated it aggressively at the first sign of trouble (debriding with peroxide and broad spectrum antibiotic).

Vibrio is very common in warm brackish water. All nicks/cuts/punctures should be washed in peroxide or bleach ASAP.

That's scary since I get nicked with fish hooks and fins when fileting fish regularly at the pier.I seem destined to get stabbed by a hardhead or two as well. I started wearing rubber gloves to clean fish this year just as a precaution. There is a link to another article about the presence of high concentrations of this bacteria on tar balls. It apparently feeds on the bacteria that feeds on the tar balls.

Originally Posted by chillinfish

That's scary since I get nicked with fish hooks and fins when fileting fish regularly at the pier.I seem destined to get stabbed by a hardhead or two as well. I started wearing rubber gloves to clean fish this year just as a precaution. There is a link to another article about the presence of high concentrations of this bacteria on tar balls. It apparently feeds on the bacteria that feeds on the tar balls.

From what I've seen the danger is in ignoring a beginning infection or to people with compromised immune systems. I still fish and crab and get nicks all the time, too, but I treat them. Having got rid of it once it does not scare me much, but I don't ignore signs of infection on a nick and I do keep bleach and peroxide on my boat.

EDIT: BTW when I got it it was probably from a tiny prick from a piece of wire on a trap. It was tiny, reddish, and sensitive when I went to bed and then about the size of an English pea and black when I woke up. It moves fast, do not ignore changes in a nick.

The sickist I have ever been was from eating raw oysters. The wife and I went to dallas for our first ever trip together. we had only been dating about 4 weeks. We went over to Big Shucks for some seafood she ordered some crab cakes and I ordered 1dz oysters on the half shell. About 3 hours later we where back at the hotel that when all hell broke loose. It was coming out of both ends.

About 2hrs later I fell asleep woke up feeling like crap and had a 3.5 hr drive home. that was the worst 3.5 hrs of my life or so I thought. I was sick for another 4 days. I will tell you I knew she was the one because that horror scene in dallas didnt scare her away. That was back in 2008 to this day the thought of oysters makes me sick.

Originally Posted by chillinfish

I'm wondering if I should lose my taste for sushi.


Orange Beach tourist contracts flesh-eating bacteria after eatin - Alabamas13.com WVTM-TV Birmingham, AL

I took a sushi making class up here in Birmingham. From what I understood the parasites can live in the fresh raw meat....once you freeze and then thaw the meat, it should be fine for sushi consumption.

Oh yeah BTW, this is my 1st post. My name is Andy and I enjoy reading everything on here. I joined recently after out last trip to the beach and pier. I'm hoping to try and apply some of my new found knowledge from reading stuff on here. I hope to be able to make it down for a long weekend either in September or October.

Welcome to the forum Andy and thanks for posting!