A California woman underwent amputations of all four limbs after consuming tilapia contaminated with dangerous bacteria.
The woman identified as Laura Barajas, 40, underwent life-saving surgery on Thursday after spending months in the hospital.
“It’s been an immense burden for all of us. It’s truly devastating. This could have happened to any one of us,” shared Anna Messina, a friend of Barajas with KRON.
According to Messina, Barajas, who has a 6-year-old son, became ill shortly after consuming fish she bought at a local market in San Jose and prepared at her own home.
“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” said Messina.
“They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing,” she added
The infection is thought to have been triggered by vibrio vulnificus, a bacterial infection that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a warning about.
“You can contract this bacteria in two ways: by consuming something contaminated with it or by exposing a cut or tattoo to water where this microorganism thrives,” explained Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode, an infectious disease expert at UCSF, to KRON.
According to the CDC, approximately 150 to 200 cases of vibro vulnificus are reported each year.
Source: New York Post