'Zombie' crabs invade the Chesapeake Bay

There is no reason to be concerned! The parasites won't turn humans into zombies if they are eaten by accident, but rather the human body will digest them normally.

let's say a human ate one of these crabs, would we get infected with this virus or get a stomach bug?

Hi Jim, Great question! It sounds like what you encountered were "pea crabs," small crabs that live as a parasites in oysters, clams, mussels, and other bivalves. Some people consider these pea crabs a delicacy and will purposefully seek them out to eat!

I remember seeing what looked like these crabs at a Clam Bake on the beach in Nantucket Island. Virtually every steamed clam had at least one of these small crabs inside them when we opened them. Since they were cooked, they were quite tasty, but crunchy and unexpected. This was like 15-20 years ago, would they have been the same invasive crabs? Thanks.