NATION IN BRIEF : LOUISIANA : Cocktail Sauce Passes Medical Mustard

Jazzing up raw oysters with a splash of spicy cocktail sauce might make good medical sense because it kills the germs, scientists say. Most oyster eaters probably indulge in cocktail sauce because they like the taste. One risk of eating raw oysters is the microbes in their digestive tracts. Oysters on the half shell are sometimes tainted with bacteria that can cause ailments ranging from mild diarrhea to blood poisoning. Scientists from Louisiana State University in New Orleans experimented with the main ingredients of cocktail sauce--Tabasco and other Louisiana hot sauces, horseradish, lemon juice and ketchup.