"edible" bivalves are full of vibrio

and people wonder why i don't like sea boogers.

Clams, mussels and oysters are important vehicles for the transmission of enteric diseases when consumed raw or undercooked. Vibrio species, including human pathogens, are particularly abundant in bivalve tissues, where they can persist even after cleaning procedures, thus representing a potential risk for human health. Although different environmental factors are well known to affect the persistence of vibrios in these organisms, the key role of the interactions between vibrios and the immune system of bivalves has been recently highlighted by scientists from the Universities of Genova and Urbino (Italy) in Environmental Microbiology.

Carla Pruzzo, from the University of Genova explains:

In bivalves, immunity is carried out by circulating haemocytes and soluble haemolymph factors that act in a co-ordinate way to kill microorganisms. Our research examines available data on Vibrio interactions with both cellular and soluble components of the bivalve immune system in the light of the capacity of bacteria to evade the hemolymph bactericidal activity and to develop pathogenic effects in the bivalve host.

so now you're all like, "what the hell do i care fra some vibrator in my clams?"

well, sweeties, it's vibrio - cholera, which has a very high - and disturbingly rapid - mortality rate and is rated by those who have had it as prolly the worst disease they've ever experienced. as the CDC notes,

Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but sometimes it can be severe. Approximately one in 20 infected persons has severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.

[emphasis mine]

so fuck your shellfish, luv. i'm waiting for the famine for those.