Is Ceviche safe (to eat)?

ralph124c · #1 06-21-2006, 01:57 PM

Seviche (lime-juice marinated fish) has gotten very popular. I have tasted it, but i worry about all the viruses and bacteria that lurk in raw seafood. The lime juice marinande-is it acidic enough to kill the bacteria? Also, raw shellfish can be contaminated with the virus that causes hepatitis-is this virus killed by the lime juice?
So, what is the concensus-can you eat seviche and not worry about getting sick?

drachillix · #2 06-21-2006, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ralph124c

Seviche (lime-juice marinated fish) has gotten very popular. I have tasted it, but i worry about all the viruses and bacteria that lurk in raw seafood. The lime juice marinande-is it acidic enough to kill the bacteria? Also, raw shellfish can be contaminated with the virus that causes hepatitis-is this virus killed by the lime juice?
So, what is the concensus-can you eat seviche and not worry about getting sick?

If it made many people sick it probably would not be very popular.

In general look at the establishment you are ordering it from. IF it looks like a dive, be a lil more wary. Think of it like sushi bars, fish in itself is not really dangerous, its the freshness and proper handling that makes raw or cold cooked fished a danger.

vetbridge · #3 06-21-2006, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by menu

Warning: “Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness.”

You will find thjis on most menus as a way of the restauranteur doing a CYA. Personally, I have eaten pounds of sushi in places I trust and have never had a problem.

On the other hand, the restaurant chain ChiChis went out of business after patrons contracted hepatitis from eating green onions.

Left Hand of Dorkness · #4 06-21-2006, 03:03 PM

From the United Nations:

Quote:

Cholera affects only humans and the main source of the bacteria during epidemics are the faeces of acutely infected people. However, the bacteria persists in the environment and is often found attached to plankton (Chiavelli et al., 2001). V. cholerae non-O1 and non-O139 are as the other Vibrio species, ubiquitous in marine and estuarine waters. Some non-O1 and non-O139 may be pathogenic to man, causing mainly gastroenteritis, but they are not associated with the epidemic diseases. Water contaminated with sewage is the main cause of spread of cholerae but also seafood products being contaminated with cholera-containing waters have been the cause of disease. The largest recent out-break of cholera, the pandemic South American outbreak in the early 1990s was partially caused by ceviche, a raw, marinated fish product, for which contaminated water or fish was used in the preparation. This was a O1-outbreak and caused more than 400 000 cases

Moral: don't eat poopy ceviche.
Daniel

Patty O'Furniture · #5 06-21-2006, 03:33 PM

There is a popular asian dish that uses lemon or lime juice to "cook" thinly sliced raw beef. You can actually see the beef turning color from red to brownish-gray as though it was being cooked in a microwave. When I eat it, the meat has a "mouth feel" as though it's been cooked. Is the meat actually getting a chemical burn of sorts?

Colibri · #6 06-21-2006, 03:41 PM

I eat ceviche here all the time, and so do all my friends. It is extremely popular, and is even sold at baseball games. I have never heard of anyone getting sick from it here.

While ceviche can conceivably cause problems in certain circumstances, if you get it from a decent place this shouldn't be the case.

If you are in the US I wouldn't worry about it.