A Sarasota man has died from a bacterial infection he contracted after eating a bad oyster.
The Florida Department of Health said the 71-year-old man died on July 10 after consuming a bad oyster at a restaurant two days earlier. The name of the restaurant has not been released.
The department’s website says it is the third fatal case of the infection, known as Vibrio vulnificus, in Florida this year.
Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacteria that resides in warm, brackish seawater. While infections are rare, people can contract the bacteria by eating contaminated raw shellfish, or by exposing open wounds such as cuts or scrapes to water.
Vibrio is sometimes referred to as a flesh-eating bacteria because of skin lesions that can spread in the body if the infection enters the bloodstream.
For more information on the bacteria, click here.