Bacterial infection from fish: US woman loses all 4 limbs

New York: In a shocking case, a US woman has lost all four of her limbs due to a bacterial infection from eating contaminated fish, according to media reports.

Laura Barajas(40), a native of San Jose, California, and her friend Anna Messina became sick days after eating undercooked tilapia fish.

While surgery saved Barajas’s life, her limbs had to be amputated.

"It's just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us. She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator," her friend Messina said.

"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 said.

After a month-long stay at a hospital, Barajas is without her arms and legs, the report said.

Messina said Barajas was infected by Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterial infection the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been warning about.

The CDC says about 150-200 cases of the infections are reported each year and about one in five people with the infection die, sometimes within one to two days of becoming ill.

"The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are one-you can eat something that’s contaminated with it the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives," Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode, UCSF Infectious Disease Expert said.

Spottiswoode added that the bacteria is especially concerning for people who are immunocompromised.

Messina said she and Barajas’ family are still waiting to learn more about what happened.

She has also set up a GoFundMe to help with her friend’s medical expenses. So far, it has raised more than $20,000, the report said.

With inputs from IANS