Laura Barajas, San Jose, California mom has all four limbs amputated likely caused by contaminated tilapia fish she bought at fish markets. Individuals with compromised immune systems more susceptible to Vibrio Vulnificus.
‘She almost lost her life.’ A California mom had all four of her limbs amputated after eating tilapia fish contaminated with a deadly bacteria according to a report.
Laura Barajas, 40, underwent the life-saving surgery on Thursday after a months-long stay in the hospital.
‘It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,’ Barajas’ friend Anna Messina told KRON.
Understanding how Vibrio Vulnificus infection is caught
Messina said Barajas, who has a 6-year-old son, became sick days after eating the fish that she had purchased at a local market in San Jose and made for herself at home.
‘She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,’ Messina added.
‘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 added.
Messina says Barajas was infected with Vibrio Vulnificus, a potentially fatal bacteria found in raw seafood and seawater.
‘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,’ UCSF Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode told KRON.
She said it’s a particularly concerning infection for those with weak immune systems.
Simple act that changed her life forever
There are roughly 150 to 200 cases of Vibro Vulnificus reported each year, according to the CDC. About one in five of those infected die.
Barajas’ family is waiting to learn more about what happened and how to move forward.
Speculation mounted as to whether the bacteria was passed on by the handling of the fish, as opposed to the actual consumption of it, with the lethal bacteria then passing on to other kitchen utensils and ultimately into the victim’s system.
Read a GoFundme page raised for Barajas: ‘Little did she know that this simple act would change her life forever. Laura has been in the hospital for over a month, fighting for her life, she is now a quadruple amputee.’
It remained unclear if there had been other reports of other individuals becoming ill from consuming the alleged contaminated tilapia fish.
