Oysters can get herpes? It’s more likely than you think
The heat waves are accelerating a deadly herpes virus in some of San Diego's oysters
By Ava Kershner
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SAN DIEGO, California (KGTV) — It’s been a hot summer.
According to the National Weather Service, even the water in San Diego Bay reached up to 75 degrees on Tuesday.
Scripps Oceanography scientists recently discovered that these heat waves accelerate a deadly herpes virus in none other than some of San Diego’s favorite seafood- oysters.
“So, you’re going to see they’re all here; these are the Pacific Oysters. And they just came in this morning,” said Ky Phan, one of the owners of Crab Hut, as she showed the inside of the walk-in freezer.
When Ky Phan started her family’s seafood business, she wanted to support the local industry.
“I mean, we were able to work with aqua farms here in San Diego. But then the climate and the weather here, it’s a little bit hotter,” said Phan.
Now, she gets her live oysters from British Columbia.
“It’s just the stability of the waters in British Columbia, and we’re working with the farms up there. We’re able to get more of a consistent product and a more seasonal product, too,” said Phan.
“I mean, we were able to work with aqua farms here in San Diego. But then the climate and the weather here, it’s a little bit hotter,” said Phan.
Now, she gets her live oysters from British Columbia.
“It’s just the stability of the waters in British Columbia, and we’re working with the farms up there. We’re able to get more of a consistent product and a more seasonal product, too,” said Phan.
“So wild oysters don’t seem to harbor this virus, or if they do, it’s at really, really low levels that have not been detectable. And so our goal for the next few years is to apply for grant money to work on experiments that look at how resistant the wild oysters actually are against this virus,” said Kunselman.
As for Phan, she’ll continue using her trusted sources.
“We love what we do, and we actually love to eat this food as well. We just try to get the best quality products,” said Phan.
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