The aphrodisiacal potential of oysters is the stuff of maritime folklore, having roots in tales of Aphrodite (literally "foam born"), the goddess of love, said to have arisen from the sea on an oyster shell. However, mariners' tales chronicling oysters' lethal potential, despite having abounded since the 5th century B.C., have received less attention. Vibrio vulnificus, originally described in 1979 (6; J. J. Farmer III, Letter, Lancet ii:903, 1979), is a particularly virulent, lactose-fermenting, motile gram-negative halophilic bacterium that inhabits temperate coastal waters, notably of the Gulf of Mexico. V. vulnificus is concentrated in fish and filter feeders such as oysters and clams (up to 50% culture positive) and crabs (up to 11% culture positive) (18,72), and infection associated with exposure to this organism may range from wound infections to fatal septicemic shock (38, 69). Moreover, as probably the leading cause of seafood-associated fatalities in the United States, this organism is considered a significant public health hazard, since despite early recognition, aggressive antibiotic therapy, and surgical debridement, the morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with V. vulnificus infections remain substantial (48,49).Risk factors for V. vulnificus infection include the V. vulnificus subtype (various genetically distinct subgroups of biotype 1 identified by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA PCR appear to be especially virulent), immunocompromised state (human immunodeficiency virus, cancer, bone marrow suppression, achlorhydria, and diabetes), end-stage renal impairment, liver impairment (particularly cirrhosis [infection risk, 200-fold]) (33), and hemochromatosis (primary or secondary such as the hemolytic anemias and thalassemias or porphyria cutanea tarda) (11,30,31,51,71). Interestingly, these same patients, especially those with iron overload, also have a striking predisposition to other aggressive bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes, Klebsiella sp., and Yersinia sp. (the last of these, perhaps coincidentally, is also a potentially waterborne