A multistate vibrio outbreak linked to fresh crab imported from Venezuela has sickened at least 123 people in Maryland, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. Four people have been hospitalized because they are so sick.
Illness onset dates range from April 1, 2018 to July 3, 2018. Ill persons range in age from 26 to 69 years. Epidemiologic evidence indicates that precooked fresh crab meat imported from Venezuela is the likely source of this outbreak.
Whole genome sequencing shows that isolates taken from patients are closely related genetically. The means that people who are sick in this outbreak are likely to share a common source of infection. More people associated with this outbreak include some who ate crab and who had a positive test for Vibrio, which may or not be the species Vibrio parahaemolyticus that sickened the 12 confirmed illnesses in this outbreak.
You can contact attorney Fred Pritzker by calling 1-888-377-8900.
Fred Pritzker, a noted food safety lawyer, said, “This multistate Vibrio outbreak is unusual in that these types of illnesses are usually linked to raw oysters.”
Public health officials in Maryland first found this outbreak when they identified Vibrio infections among people who ate crab. Traceback investigations identified restaurants and grocery stores where ill persons bought the crab meat as the likely source of this multistate Vibrio outbreak.
CDC recommends that consumers not eat, restaurants not serve, and retailers not sell any precooked fresh crab meat imported from Venezuela until further notice. The crab may be labeled as fresh or precooked. It is usually packaged in plastic containers. Food that is contaminated with Vibrio bacteria will not look, smell, or taste different, and the texture of the food is unaffected.
The symptoms of a Vibrio infection include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, and chills. Symptoms usually last about three days. Most people recover without treatment, but if a patient has a liver disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV, or thalassemia, or have a weakened immune system, take medicine to decrease stomach acid, or have had recent stomach surgery, they may have serious complications and need to be hospitalized. If you have eaten crab meat recently and have had these symptoms, see your doctor.
