On Food and Cooking

Infectious and Toxin-Producing Microbes
Seafoods carry about the same risk of
bacterial infections and poisonings as other
meats (p. 125). The riskiest seafoods are raw
or undercooked shellfish, particularly
bivalves, which trap bacteria and viruses as
they filter the water for food, and which we
eat digestive tract and all, sometimes raw. As
early as the 19th century, public health
officials connected outbreaks of cholera and
typhoid fever with shellfish from polluted
waters. Government monitoring of water
quality and regulation of shellfish harvest and
sales have greatly reduced these problems in
many countries. And scrupulous restaurant
owners make sure to buy shellfish for the
summer raw bar from monitored sources, or
from less risky cold-water sources. But lovers
of raw or lightly cooked seafood should be
aware of the possibility of infection.
As a general rule, infections by bacteria
and parasites can be prevented by cooking