ST. LOUIS (WJW) — A man died last week after eating raw oysters from a Missouri store and contracting a flesh-eating bacteria, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health said.

Oysters sold at The Fruit Stand & Seafood in Manchester, a suburb of St. Louis, have been embargoed by the health department and now people in the area and beyond are reminded about the risks of consuming raw shellfish.

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The department said the 54-year-old man was hospitalized for an infection caused by the Vibrio vulnificu bacteria, and that he died Thursday.

“There is no evidence that the business did anything to contaminate the oysters, which likely were already contaminated when the establishment received them,” the public health department said in a statement.

The bacteria can be found in shellfish, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and those who eat raw oysters can be sickened. The bacteria can also get inside your body through open wounds (often when people swim in salt or brackish water).

Those infected by Vibrio vulnificu can end up being hospitalized and many need amputation, the CDC said. The bacteria, which can cause deadened tissue, is lethal for about 1 in 5 of those who contract it.


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Symptoms to look out for include: fever, chills, intestinal issues, swelling, lesions and leaking fluids. Anyone who may think they could have contracted the bacteria should call their health care provider.

The CDC recommends people avoid eating raw shellfish, or at least wash their hands thoroughly before doing so.