LSU Science Café: Oysters, Brought to You by the Letters ‘R’ and ‘V’

If you live in Louisiana and enjoy raw oysters, you’ve probably heard you shouldn’t eat them in months without the letter ‘R’—May, June, July, and August. This is because oysters, as filter-feeders, accumulate whatever is in their surrounding waters. Typically, this is their food, such as phytoplankton, but sometimes it is bacteria, including vibrios, which thrive in warmer waters. While vibrios are mostly harmless—even helpful, as they help recycle carbon in the ocean—some are pathogenic to humans and can cause diarrhea, sepsis, limb amputations, and even death. Since vibrios occur naturally in aquatic environments and are beneficial there, their removal is not an option for saving human lives. So, what’s an oyster eater to do? Join Science Café to learn how to predict and detect high vibrio levels based on salinity, turbidity, chlorophyll, and other environmental factors.

Crystal Johnson, associate professor in the LSU College of the Coast & Environment, studies environmental microbes. She is especially passionate about Vibrio parahaemolyticus and research with undergraduate students. While she “grew up as a germophobic little girl in Moss Point, Mississippi,” she later learned germs are not all bad and exposure to them can even be beneficial.

Photo credit: Elizabeth S. Perez

LSU Science Café is presented in partnership with Campus Federal Credit Union and WRKF.

The event is open to the public, and advance registration through Eventbrite is recommended.

LSU Science Café is in-person only (i.e., no live feed) but it will be recorded, and posted on our YouTube channel.

Please print your registration ticket or have it readily available on your electronic device upon arrival.

Doors open at 5:00 PM. Event begins at 6:00 PM.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Varsity Theatre, 3353 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, United States