Don't Put These In Your Mouth

Apparently a herpes virus has spread to 8 billion French oysters in the past few weeks. Wow, those oysters really should've been using some protection. Researchers are warning that the Great Oyster Shortage of 2008 will put many shellfish sellers into financial ruin. How did these oysters catch the virus? Apparently global warming has heated up the French waters that these young oysters were cultivated in. The warm waters caused plankton to grow in abundance which the oysters gorged themselves on. Once full they decided to quench another appetite: their sexual organs. That left the rest of their organs vulnerable to the herpes virus Oyster Herpes Virus type 1. Evidently oysters can only utilize one set of organs at a time. Since their sexual organs were busy, their defense organs were not, inviting in the virus, thus killing around 8 billion young oysters in the past month. And according to scientists, we have more viruses affecting our seafood to look forward to. As waters continually stay warm, more viruses will attack and kill our food. At least the kosher rabbis will be happy.