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US Woman Suffers Bacterial Infection After Eating Tilapia Fish, Loses All 4 Limbs

US Woman Suffers Bacterial Infection After Eating Tilapia Fish, Loses All 4 Limbs
US Woman Suffers Bacterial Infection After Eating Tilapia Fish, Loses All 4 Limbs

In a tragic development, a 40-year-old American woman lost all four of her limbs after contracting a deadly bacterial infection from Tilapia fish.

Written by Kinkini Gupta |Updated : September 17, 2023 8:50 PM IST

In a tragic turn of events, a US woman from California lost all four of her limbs after suffering from a deadly bacterial infection. Reports say that she had contracted the infection after eating an undercooked tilapia fish at home. This fish was contaminated with a lethal strain of bacteria called 'Vibro Vulnificus.' This is a very deadly bacterium found mostly in seawater and raw seafood.

The 40-year-old mother, Laura Barajas was undergoing surgery for months during which the doctors had to amputate all four of her limbs due to the severity of the infection.

What Was Laura Barajas's Medical State?

The health officials reported that the infection was severe. After eating the fish Laura Barajas became very sick. She had to be put in a medically induced coma and a respirator. She almost lost her life. The infection has spread to multiple body parts. Her fingers, feet and her bottom lip had turned black in color, according to the doctors. She had suffered complete sepsis and her kidneys were also failing to function normally.

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This is when the doctors had to conduct the surgery in order to save her life.

How Can People Contract This Infection?

This infection is deadly if not treated on time and the bacterium thrives in seawater and seafood. If a person consumes something contaminated with this bacterium, they might contract this infection. Experts say that there is another way through which people might get infected, which is by exposing a tattoo to contaminated water.

According to Centre for Disease Control And Prevention (CDC), about 150 to 200 cases such as this is reported every year in US and one among five always suffers a fatality.

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