Shellfish tied to nationwide bacterial outbreak that has sickened dozens and hospitalized 20
More than five dozen people have been sickened after eating shellfish that was contaminated with a life-threatening bacteria.
The CDC and FDA are working to investigate a salmonella outbreak tied to raw oysters.
Sixty-four people have been sickened across 22 states and 20 people have been hospitalized in connection to the contaminated oysters.
No deaths have been recorded.
Last month health officials began investigating illnesses to try and identify the source of a multistate salmonella outbreak, which led them to determine raw oysters were making people sick.
The officials are now attempting to identify the source of the oysters.
While the number of sick people reported is 64, the CDC said this number is likely much higher, as many people infected with salmonella do not seek treatment or get tested for the bacteria.
Additionally, salmonella symptoms take up to four weeks to appear after infection, so cases will likely grow in the near future.
Raw oysters can be a hotbed of bacteria and the CDC recommends cooking the shellfish to reduce the risk of food poisoning (stock image)
Raw oysters can be a hotbed of bacteria and the CDC recommends cooking the shellfish to reduce the risk of food poisoning.
Salmonella infects more than 1.3 million Americans a year.
It is found in animal feces and leads to bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, vomiting and loss of appetite.
While most people recover on their own or have no symptoms, the bacteria can be especially dangerous to young children and the elderly, both of whom have weakened immune systems.
About 420 Americans die from salmonella every year and 26,500 are hospitalized.
Oysters can also be a source of the deadly pathogen Vibrio vulnificus.
The shellfish was the source of a Vibrio outbreak last summer in Louisiana that killed at least six people.
The above map shows where people sickened in this outbreak live
In the latest salmonella outbreak, the sickened patients are between 10 and 76 years old.
Of the 27 people health officials were able to interview, 20 reported eating raw oysters.
Cases related to this outbreak were first recorded in June 2025 and sporadically over the summer, but began picking up in late October and early November.
While patients live in states across the country, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Georgia have seen the most cases.
