In a shocking incident, a woman lost all four of her limbs after eating an undercooked and contaminated Tilapia fish. According to media reports, the woman who is a mother of four contracted a bacterial infection after eating fish that had a fatal strain of bacteria.
According to local media, the 40-year-old woman underwent a lifesaving surgery last week after being hospitalised for a month.
Her friends claim that the California-based woman became sick after consuming the fish that she had bought at a local market in San Jose and made for herself at home.
Reportedly, the woman has been put into a medically induced coma. According to reports, her fingers, feet and bottom lip were black. She had complete sepsis, and her kidneys were failing, her friends said as quoted by several media outlets.
The woman had contracted Vibrio vulnificus which is a potentially deadly bacterium commonly found in raw seafood and seawater. Experts have often emphasised on handling and preparing sea food properly.
What is Vibrio vulnificus?
Vibrio vulnificus is a species of Gram-negative, motile, curved rod-shaped, pathogenic bacteria of the genus Vibrio. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vibrio species causes Vibriosis which causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year.
The US Health Body maintains that people get infected by consuming raw or undercooked seafood or exposing a wound to seawater. The bacteria can also cause a skin infection when an open wound is exposed to salt water or brackish water.
What are the symptoms of infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus?
According to the CDC, when ingested, Vibrio bacteria can cause the following symptoms:
- watery diarrhea
- abdominal cramping
- nausea
- vomiting,
- fever,
- and chills.
The CDC maintains that these symptoms often occur within 24 hours of ingestion and last about 3 days. However, severe illness is rare and typically occurs in people with a weakened immune system.
What is the treatment?
According to CDC, treatment is not required in mild cases. “Although there is no evidence that antibiotics decrease the severity or duration of illness, they are sometimes used in severe or prolonged illnesses,” it stated.
The patients should should drink plenty of liquids to replace fluids lost through diarrhea.
