This woman eats undercooked fish and has her legs and arms amputated

After buying a fish at a fishmonger's, Laura Barajas cooked it at home before eating it. She didn't feel anything unusual until she fell ill the next day. Her condition was so serious that she had to be placed in an induced coma, before having her arms and legs amputated.

Hospitalized for a month after eating tilapia

The 40-year-old mother of one bought the tilapia at a fishmonger's in San José, California. As she learned after eating it, the fish was infected with Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially fatal bacterium. Her condition worsened, her fingertips turned black and she was placed on life support.

As Anna Messina, one of her friends, who set up a GoFundMe fund to help her, explains:

Laura has been in hospital for over a month, fighting for her life, and is now a quadruple amputee. On September 13, 2023, Laura's four limbs had to be removed to save her life.

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Vibrio vulnificus, dangerous bacteria that takes advantage of global warming

When cooking the tilapia, Laura Barajas may have undercooked the fish, allowing the bacteria to develop in her body. In the United States, Vibrio vulnificus infects around 200 people a year, and is fatal in 1/5 of those infected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Unlike other Vibrio species, V. vulnificus is transmitted primarily through contact of an open wound with salt or brackish water, but occasionally (in about 10% of cases), the bacteria can also infect people who consume raw or undercooked shellfish.

As this bacterium proliferates in warm waters, health authorities are observing an upsurge in cases of contamination, in parallel with global warming.

Read more:'Dangerous food to eat': Two restaurateurs die after eating this popular shellfish

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

Insider: California mother lost all her limbs from bacterial infection after eating undercooked tilapia

GoFundme: Help with Lauras' Unexpected Turn

CDC: Severe Vibrio vulnificus Infections in the United States Associated with Warming Coastal Waters