Don't pop that raw oyster into your mouth, because, some say, you don't know where it's been. Others, though, claim it's OK to sidle up to the raw bar. Tests on clams and oysters from the waters of Oregon and North Carolina have shown a surprisingly high number with salmonella, a major cause of food-borne illness, says researcher Lynn Joens, a professor in the department of veterinary science and microbiology at the University of Arizona. Although shellfish waters are tested regularly for Escherichia coli bacteria, Joens says they're tested only every 12 years for salmonella and Campylobacter cinaedi , another illness-causing bacterium.
Many people become ill by the improper handling and cooking of poultry.
Joens and a colleague on the East Coast tested shellfish in areas of North Carolina closed because of contamination. They then compared the amount of bacteria in those shellfish to that found in oysters in some Oregon waters. Contamination levels were the same, the researchers say. This is preliminary data, but these were some pretty high numbers. Amounts of Campylobacter were significantly less, at 10 to 15 percent, he says.