US Woman Gets Bacterial Infection From Eating Undercooked Fish, Has All 4 Limbs Amputated

Woman Loses Arms & Legs After Bacterial Infection From Consuming Undercooked Fish

A woman in California, the United States (US) had to have all four of her limbs amputated after contracting a bacterial infection from eating undercooked fish.

She had reportedly purchased the fish from a local market and cooked it for dinner.

Within days of eating it, she fell very ill and had to go to the hospital.

By that point, she was experiencing sepsis and kidney failure. Her limbs had turned black and doctors had no choice but to amputate them.

Her friend has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help the woman and her family cope with this difficult period.

Woman bought fish from local market & ate it alone

According to KRON4, Laura Barajas, a 40-year-old mother of one, bought tilapia fish from a local market sometime in late July.

Her friend Anna Messina told the San Francisco news outlet that Ms Barajas then cooked the fish and ate it alone.

Within days of consumption, she fell extremely ill and had to go to the hospital.

She almost lost her life and had to be put on a respirator, shared Ms Messina.

“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.”

As a result, all her limbs had to be amputated.

Friend sets up GoFundMe for quadruple amputee battling bacterial infection from undercooked fish

Following that, Ms Messina set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Ms Barajas, her husband, and their family.

The campaign page states that Ms Barajas was diagnosed with vibrio vulnificus soon after she ate the fish.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterial infection from raw or undercooked seafood, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ms Messina also added on the GoFundMe page that Ms Barajas underwent the amputation on Wednesday (13 Sep).

Through the campaign, Ms Messina hopes to raise US$150,000 (S$205,000) for the family. At the time of writing, she has managed to raise about US$52,000 (S$71,000).

Also read: S’pore Man’s Finger Allegedly Amputated After Infection By Flesh-Eating Bacteria From Prawn

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Featured image adapted from KRON4 on YouTube.