Woman had to have all four limbs amputated after eating common fish

A woman had to have all four of her limbs amputated after eating contaminated fish.

Laura Barajas from California suffered a horrendous ordeal when she reportedly contracted an infection, which placed her in a medically induced coma and ultimately cost her limbs.

She had bought a tilapia fish from a local market in San Jose, California, in July 2023, however, things quickly turned sour after she ate the fish for dinner that night and started to feel unwell.

Days later, the 40-year-old's symptoms accelerated and she was swiftly hospitalized, where she was placed in a medically induced coma, her friend, Anna Messina, said.

Then in September, Barajas was processed for emergency life-saving surgery which involved the amputation of four of her limbs.

Messina told KRON 4: “It's just been really heavy on all of us. It's terrible. This could've happened to any of us. She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator. 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.”

Laura Barajas had purchased the fish from a market (GoFundMe)

She added: “Be thankful for what we have right now because it can be taken away so quickly so easily.”

A GoFundMe page was set up by Messina to help cover the cost of medical bills and Barajas' ongoing care needs, which has now reached more than $147,000 at the time of writing.

The fundraiser adds the mom, who lives with her six-year-old son and partner of eight years, Jose Valdez, is in 'desperate need' of help as the family face 'significant changes to their lives as they adapt to her new circumstances'.

The father, who works for a local realtor, has also 'exhausted his paid time off' work while the Family Disability program can only support 60 percent of his normal income, according to Messina.

It was reported that the infection Barajas had contracted was vibrio vulnificus, which, according to the CDC, around 150 to 200 reported cases of the infection each year and around one in five of those will die.

However, in 2023, health officials expressed doubt on her reported diagnosis.

The mom lost all of her limbs while fighting for her life (KRON 4)

According to The Independent, a spokesperson said that by law vibrio infection cases must be reported by hospitals within one day of diagnosis.

They continued: "The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department monitors for occurrence of any unusual infections and diseases in partnership with local medical providers and laboratories, which are required to report certain diseases and conditions to Public Health.

"Public Health investigates reports of suspected Vibrio each year to prevent potential risks to the public and promote the health and safety of the community…Preliminary information has now been received regarding this individual, confirming that no laboratory tests are positive for Vibrio. Several different diseases including but not limited to Vibrio can cause tragic clinical outcomes like this one."

Health officials were actively investigating what had caused Barajas' illness, CBS reported at the time, while Messina said (via Fox40) that she and Barajas' family were waiting to learn more about what had happened.

UNILAD has contacted Santa Clara County Health Department for further comment.