Woman had all 4 limbs amputated after eating fish with deadly bacteria: 'Almost lost her life'

The woman was infected by the deadly bacteria, Vibrio Vulnificus, after she ate the undercooked fish. (Representational image: Pixabay)

A woman from California had all four of her limbs amputated after she ate some tilapia fish that was contaminated with a deadly bacteria, the New York Post reported.

Laura Barajas, a 40-year-old mother, had fallen ill after eating the fish that she had bought from a local market and cooked at home, her friends told the publication.

Barajas became sick days after eating the fish that she had purchased at a local market in San Jose and made for herself at home, her friend Anna Messina told KRON. According to reports, the deadly bacteria, Vibrio Vulnificus, present in the fish infected the woman after she ate the undercooked fish. The potentially fatal bacteria is found in raw seafood and seawater. Barajas had to be hospitalised for two months and recently underwent life-saving surgery.

“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” Messina told the publication. “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... It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us."

Explaining how Barajas may have gotten infected, Barajas infectious disease expert Dr Natasha Spottiswoode told KRON: “The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are, one, you can eat something that’s contaminated with it (and) the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives."

She added it’s a particularly concerning infection for those with weak immune systems.

According to the New York Post, there are roughly 150-200 cases of Vibro Vulnificus reported in the US each year and about one in five of those infected die.

“People should take sensible precautions like if you have a cut avoid getting immersed in water until it’s well healed,” Spottiswoode told KRON. “If you are someone immunocompromised keeping an eye on these things and avoiding those high-risk activities and foods.”