Can you eat raw shrimp? It contains harmful bacteria, viruses, and antibiotics used in shrimp farming, making it extremely dangerous.
Shrimps are one of the most popular shellfish in the world. Humans can eat its fleshy abdomen and tail, which have become a major source of delicacy for many people from various cultures around the world. They’re known for having a delectable flavor and varying textures depending on the variety.
One of the reasons for their widespread consumption is the large amounts of nutrients deposited in their bodies. Carbohydrates, monounsaturated fat, vitamins A and D, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc are all found in shrimp. It’s also high in protein and has a low saturated fat content, making it a healthy choice. They are also high in Omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury.
Shrimp are the most widely consumed seafood in the United States. According to the New York Times, the average annual shrimp consumption in the United States is 4.4 pounds per person, with over 1.5 billion pounds consumed overall. Wild-caught shrimp and farmed shrimp are the two main ways shrimp enter the US market. It’s boiled, broiled, baked, barbecued, pan-fried, deep-fried, stir-fried, and even eaten raw in some cases.
Raw shrimp consumption is common in many cultures around the world. Shrimp are sometimes eaten live in China with a baijiu liquor dip. Also, the Amaebi sweet shrimp, a shrimp family species, is generally thought to be best enjoyed raw because cooking can deplete its sweetness. Another raw shrimp delicacy is sashimi, a raw shrimp delicacy from Japan.
However, questions have been raised about how safe raw shrimp is for humans. Raw shrimp is not recommended by many health professionals for a variety of reasons.
Why is it dangerous to eat raw shrimp?
- They carry pathogenic bacteria.
Raw shrimp contain harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning in those who consume them. According to Samford University Bangladesh’s Department of Microbiology, Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae, Aeromonas, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were found in samples of export quality frozen shrimp. The bacteria in raw shrimp can cause food poisoning if consumed. This is due to the fact that the bacteria mentioned above cause 90% of food poisoning cases. Food poisoning symptoms from shrimp include
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Fever
- Diarrhea
- Fever
These symptoms can last up to seven days, and a healthy adult male may be able to recover without any treatment. People with underlying illnesses or a weakened immune system, on the other hand, may develop more serious conditions that can lead to death. As a result, people with a weakened immune system should avoid shellfish altogether.
2. They are infected with dangerous viruses.
Bacteria aren’t the only potentially harmful substances found in raw shrimp. Iran’s Genetic and Breeding Research Center for Cold Water Fishes publishes a journal. It shows that many shrimp are infected with multiple viruses. Some of them are as follows:
- The virus causing white-spot syndrome (WSSV)
- Baculovirus monodon (MBV)
- The virus with yellow heads (YHV)
- Hepantopancreatic parvovirus is a virus that affects the pancreas (HPV).
- Lymphocytic organ virus of Australia (LOV)
- The virus linked to Gill (GAV)
- The virus that causes infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis (IHHNV)
- The virus causing Taura syndrome (TSV)
- Virus Mourilyan (MOV)
- Virus Laem Sing (LSNV)
- Midgut gland necrosis virus caused by baculovirus (BMNV)
- Slow growth syndrome in Monodon (MSGS)
- Myonecrosis virus infection (IMNV)
- Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV)
- virus that is extra small (XSV).
More than 15 viruses have been reported to infect shrimp, according to the journal. Shrimps suffer from them, despite the fact that they are not considered a threat to human health. Consumers want to eat only healthy shrimp, so it is recommended that shrimp be properly cooked so that any bacteria or viruses present can die out during the cooking process.
3. Antibiotics used in shrimp farming are present.
Shrimp is sourced in the United States from both wild-caught and farmed shrimp. Wild-caught shrimp account for 10% of the total, with farmed shrimp accounting for 90%. However, most farmed shrimp are imported from Southeast Asian countries, not from shrimp farms in the United States. Most of these countries have shrimp farming and a poverty-based production system, and their shrimp farms are most likely abusing antibiotics. Due to easy access to antibiotics in these areas and little to no government regulation on such matters, many shrimp farmers use antibiotics on their shrimp without a prescription and often use an unhealthy amount.
Antibiotic resistance and antibiotic residue are two major issues resulting from antibiotic abuse on shrimp farms. Farmers end up using antibiotics meant for human disease outbreaks on their shrimp when they develop resistance to regular antibiotics, according to the aquaculture alliance. Antibiotic abuse results in antibiotic residue in harvested shrimp, which can range from non-metabolized antibiotics to metabolic by-products.
The FDA has prohibited the use of antibiotics in shrimp aquaculture in the United States. Other countries, on the other hand, allow the sale of antibiotic-treated shrimp. According to the World Health Organization, antibiotics are a major threat to global health, food security, and development.
Shrimp farmed with antibiotics should be avoided, according to the Shrimp Alliance, because they can cause cancer and aplastic anemia. According to the Shrimp Alliance, the vast majority of shrimp imported into the United States comes from countries designated as “red zones” for antibiotic abuse in aquaculture. In a 2015 report by the United States Government Accountability Office, 12.2 percent of imported shrimp tested positive for banned antibiotics, and India is a major offender, accounting for more than half of all shrimp imports rejected due to antibiotic residue and bacterial infections. They are, ironically, the largest shrimp exporter to the United States.
For the reasons stated above, the FDA strongly advises against eating shrimp raw and recommends that they be thoroughly cooked before consumption.
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