A viral TikTok is warning against eating raw oysters this summer, but Vibrio infections and other issues are still relatively rare

• A viral TikTok video appears to show parasites in an oyster bought from a grocery store.
• Raw oysters can contain a bacteria called Vibrio, but getting sick from it is rarer than you expect.

Oysters are a staple summer food for many people, but viral TikTok videos are sowing fears about their safety.

In a TikTok video that has been viewed 2.3 million times since it was posted in April, user @malamamaofficial opened a bag of raw oysters they said they bought for $1 from Whole Foods. However, after the user opened one of the oysters, she discovered what appeared to be a pea crab in one of the shells.

"This is why it's $1," the TikTok user said, removing a small creature from the shucked oyster shell. "It's a parasite crab!"

While the video may be unappetizing to some, pea crabs are actually commonly found inside oysters as they feed on mucous strands inside the oyster shell, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since pea crabs cause damage to oyster mantle and gills, they are considered parasites, according to NOAA.

However, pea crabs are not harmful to humans and can even be eaten raw.

Whole Foods did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The discovery has sparked conversations about the safety of eating raw oysters, especially in the summer months

In response to the video, another TikTok user, @everariasmd, who identifies himself as an internal-medicine resident, said he would "never, under any circumstances" eat raw oysters.

It's a commonly held belief that you should only eat raw oysters during months that include the letter "R," meaning September through April.

Bacteria multiply more quickly in warm water, which is one reason people believe it's not safe to eat raw seafood in the summer. However, according to the New York Times, the National Shellfish Sanitation Program enforces strict guidelines to ensure safe oyster handling for human consumption, including placing the oysters on ice to keep them fresh for as long as possible.

The risks of eating raw oysters may also be rising as a result of climate change, which could lead to an environment that allows Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria found in marine environments, to more easily multiply.

Bill Marler, a food safety expert, previously told Insider that as ocean waters get warmer and humans infringe upon aquatic habitats, the risk of illness associated with eating raw shellfish will only continue to increase. Marler also said that cases of foodborne illness linked to raw shellfish have been on the rise over the past decade.

"Because oysters feed by filtering water, Vibrio and other harmful germs can concentrate in their tissues. When someone eats raw or undercooked oysters, germs that might be in the oyster can cause illness," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Vibrio, which enters the body through eating raw or uncooked seafood or through open wounds in bacteria-infected seawater, has a number of nasty health effects, from diarrhea to death, in extreme and rare cases. Most cases of vibriosis cause mild stomach upset, but raw oysters can also become contaminated with norovirus or even hepatitis A.

Oysters or other seafood containing the Vibrio bacteria don't smell, taste, or look any different from regular seafood, meaning it's nearly impossible to detect until you've been infected.

However, research indicates you probably don't need to swear off $1-oyster specials just yet

The CDC estimates that about 80,000 people contract vibriosis in the United States every year. Compared to more common foodborne illnesses like norovirus, or "stomach flu," which infects one in 15 people every year, the risk of eating raw oysters occasionally is still quite low.

According to NPR, Americans consume an average of 2.5 billion oysters every year. A majority of those oysters come from the Atlantic coast, which are less likely to harbor dangerous bacteria than oysters harvested from the warmer waters of the Gulf Coast, where bacteria can more easily grow, Dr. Dave Love from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future told SELF.

The Oyster Recovery Partnership also claims that "95% of the oysters we eat are farm-raised," which a 2020 study in the journal Environmental Microbiology found contained far fewer Vibrio vulnificus pathogens than "on-bottom" or wild oysters.

Still, if you want to avoid the risk of getting sick, there are measures you can take to eat oysters safely, such as frying or baking them.

"Don't eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish. Fully cook them before eating, and only order fully cooked oysters at restaurants. Hot sauce and lemon juice don't kill Vibrio bacteria and neither does alcohol," according to the official Food and Safety government website.