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A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Tue 10 May 2011
Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP) [edited]
<http://www.google.com/
As many as 11 people have reported getting sick from eating raw
oysters contaminated with cholera bacteria in northern Florida,
officials said on Tuesday, 10 May 2011.
The oysters came from Apalachicola Bay, near Panama City in northern
Florida, about 300 miles (482 kilometers) from New Orleans along the
Gulf of Mexico coast, and the FDA issued a warning not to eat them.
"There is ongoing, collaborative discussions among all state and
federal partners as we look at this new pathogen to analyze the 1st
ever outbreak of this unique strain of _Vibrio cholerae_," Florida's
Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
State officials said 11 cases of illness were reported, while the FDA
said 8 of those have so far been confirmed as "caused by toxigenic
_Vibrio cholerae_ O75... No one was hospitalized or died."
The high number of cases is unusual, given that the Centers for
Disease Control typically logs 1 to 2 cases per year, an FDA spokesman
told AFP. "From 2000-2010, a total of 17 persons with toxigenic _V.
cholerae_ O75 infection were reported to CDC, the numbers are greatest
when the water is warm," spokesman Douglas Karas said in an email.
The FDA said the affected oysters were harvested from Area 1642 in
Apalachicola Bay between 21 Mar and 6 Apr 2011. The Florida Department
of Agriculture said it closed the area to oyster harvesting on 29 Apr
2011 and was investigating the cause of the outbreak. "To date, we
have learned of 2 events that may be the cause of the cholera related
illnesses. First, there was a dredging operation near the 1642
harvesting area that may have stirred up organisms on the floor of the
ocean," it said. "We have also learned there was a sewer break in East
Point and we are investigating whether it had any impact on oysters in
1642. The harvesting area will remain closed until our investigation
is complete."
Area 1642 is home to about 10 percent of the state's oyster harvest,
and oysters taken from there are mainly consumed in Florida, Georgia,
and Alabama.
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