Deadly food poisoning bug threatens British seafood

A potentially deadly bacteria found in seafood is making its way towards Britain, scientists have warned.

Usually found in the tropics, vibrio vulnificus causes life-threatening food poisoning and can be caused by eating reef fish.

Scientists warn than a rise in ocean temperatures has meant the bacteria has been detected further north than previously, including in the Baltic sea.

The toxin has no odour and cannot be removed by cooking.

Camille Parmesan, of Cardiff University, said: “What we don’t yet know is if these diseases were present already but not active not in sufficient number until the temperature rose, or whether they have spread to the area for the first time.

“But what we do know is that we will need new healthcare strategies to deal with and treat these tropical pathogens where historically we have not needed to in the past.”