Our law firm has successfully won money for clients in Vibrio food poisoning cases. Contact our attorneys for a free consultation. These cases have all involved eating contaminated raw oysters, but other raw shellfish can also be contaminated with Vibrio bacteria.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is one species of Vibrio bacteria. Symptoms of a Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection (vibriosis) include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. Usually these symptoms occur within 24 hours of ingestion.
If a restaurant failed to provide warnings about the dangers associated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus or provided insufficient information about those dangers, customers harmed by raw oysters contaminated with the bacteria may have a claim against the restaurant and/or the supplier of the raw oysters or other contaminated shell fish for the harms and losses suffered as a result of this horrible infection. If a customer dies from Vibrio food poisoning, the family may have a wrongful death claim.
Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Diagnosis Should be Reported
Vibrio food poisoning is diagnosed by isolating the bacterium from a stool sample from the victim. A selective medium that has thiosulfate, citrate, bile salts, and sucrose (TCBS agar) is generally used to detect Vibrio. If there is clinical suspicion for infection with Vibrio, the microbiology laboratory should be notified so that they will perform cultures using this medium. A physician should suspect V. parahaemolyticus infection if a patient has watery diarrhea and has eaten raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters, or when a wound infection occurs after exposure to seawater.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections should be reported to state health departments and to regional offices of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If your case has not been reported, contact our law firm about this important step needed to protect your legal rights and help prevent others from getting sick.
In people with weak immune systems Vibrio can cause sepsis, where the bacterium enters the bloodstream and can impair organ function. Sepsis is often fatal. People with chronic liver disease are at highest risk of developing sepsis and septic shock (defined as sepsis with hypotention) from Vibrio.
Raw oysters can also be contaminated with Vibrio vulcanificus, another species of the bacteria that causes most vibriosis deaths.