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Mass. Oyster Beds Reopening After Contamination Scare

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts health and fishery officials are reopening oyster beds that have been closed for several weeks because of naturally occurring bacterial contamination.

The state announced Friday that all the oyster beds will reopen Saturday. That includes Back River, Bluefish River, Duxbury Bay, Katama Bay, Kingston Bay and Plymouth Harbor in the towns of Duxbury, Edgartown, Kingston, Marshfield and Plymouth.

The beds had been closed beginning in late August and September after several cases of gastrointestinal illness were linked to oysters from those areas that were contaminated with the Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VIB'-ree-oh par-uh-hee-moh-LIT'ih-cus) bacteria.

The naturally-occurring bacteria are often found in oysters harvested in warm waters.

Officials said there have been no new cases since the closings, and water temperatures are now dropping with cooler fall weather.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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