PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Two Panhandle men were infected with a deadly bacteria after eating raw oysters in the past two weeks. One died and the other is in critical condition.
Dennis Sharron, 39, of Wewahitchka, died Nov. 5, six days after he ate raw oysters with friends, his family said. Doctors had amputated both of his legs in an attempt to save his life.
Sharron was diagnosed with an infection stemming from Vibrio vulnificus - a saltwater-dwelling bacterium that causes infection in the blood or skin when ingested.
The same day Sharron died, 45-year-old James Palmer ate raw oysters, his family said. He was hospitalized Nov. 10 and diagnosed with the same infection.
Palmer, of Panama City, was in critical condition at Bay Medical Center, said his niece, Betty Barnes. His right leg has been amputated. The hospital wouldn't release his condition Saturday.
It wasn't clear whether either man ate the oysters in a restaurant or got them from another vendor.
Thoroughly cooking oysters will destroy the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, according to the CDC.
