An Ohio man visiting Florida on his own wedding trip underwent emergency surgery to remove both of his legs after battling with a foodborne illness. Apparently, the 40 year old with a history of diabetes ate raw oysters infected with Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that lives in saltwater and is related to the bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio cholerae.
The food poisoning victim, Darrell Dishon, was planning on marrying his fiancée in Florida but before the big day he started feeling ill. In a testament to the virulence of many foodborne illnesses, shortly after getting ill, the man was in a hospital bed lying in a coma as the bacteria infected the skin on his legs. His daughter had to give consent to amputate both of his legs while he was still unconscious
Dishon was shocked to come out of his coma a week later and learn that he had lost both of his legs. Doctors believe that Dishon’s diabetic condition may have made him more susceptible to the bacterial food pathogen and lowered his ability to fight the skin infection.
Dishon is coping with the loss of his legs and looking forward to getting back to his life, thankful that he survived his near deadly encounter with food poisoning.
Raw oysters are a popular food. There are numerous places that serve them and people eat them by the dozen. This can be a dangerous practice, as raw shellfish can harbor foodborne illnesses such as Vibrio and Norovirus.
I am not here to condemn the eating or raw shellfish. If that is your food preference, just be aware that there are higher risks involved with this delicacy. Because of the risk I wouldn’t recommend giving children raw oysters or eating them if you are pregnant or might have a weakened immune system.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2010
