Woman Has All Limbs Amputated After Eating Undercooked Tilapia Fish

A 40-year-old woman from California, United States, was forced to have all four of her limbs amputated after eating undercooked tilapia fish.

The woman, identified as Laura Barajas, had bought the fish from a local San Jose market last month. She fell sick the next day after having the fish for dinner. She rushed to a local hospital as she felt something "was terribly wrong". The doctors found out that she had caught Vibrio Vulnificus, a dangerous bacterial infection from the tilapia.

Barajas had to spend more than a month in the hospital fighting for her life before having all her limbs removed in surgery.

"They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black, and her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis, and her kidneys were failing," her friend Anna Messina was quoted as saying by KRON.

What is Vibrio Vulnificus?

Vibrio is a bacteria that lives in coastal waters and is more prominent in warm water between May and October. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 strains of the bacteria can cause human illness, which is called Vibriosis.

The most common method for contracting Vibriosis is eating undercooked or raw shellfish. Exposing open wounds to brackish water (a mixture of fresh and saltwater) can also lead to the disease.

Around 80,000 people fall ill from Vibriosis each year in the United States. In some cases, people usually recover within three days; however, those who do not recover from the infection may need amputation of limbs.

The bacterial strain has a high wound infection fatality rate of 18 per cent. To avoid contracting Vibriosis, never eat raw shellfish or oysters, and always properly bandage wounds if you need to walk in brackish water.

This bacteria is commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and more than a dozen people have died from the infection since 1990. The bacteria is eighty times more likely to spread into the bloodstream in people with compromised immune systems, especially those with chronic liver disease. This can cause septic shock and death.

The CDC also issued a health advisory at the beginning of this month, stating that there has been an increase in Vibrio Vulnificus bacterial infections due to a rise in water temperatures.

Its symptoms include watery diarrhoea, stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever, per the CDC. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that global warming may lead to an increase in Vibrio infections.